Calico
by Kosaka
Summary: The Weiss boys learn something about taking in strays when their newest member turns out to be quite troublesome, especially for Aya.
1. Chapter One: Caught in the Spider's Web

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Special Notes and Disclaimers: Weiss Kreuz is not mine and I'm not making any money off of this. It is property of whoever owns it (yeah, I suck with names and can't remember who Weiss belongs to and am too lazy to go through my dvd collection to find out.), and not me, so don't sue. I'm just playing.

The "Griffyn" belongs to Gil Hibben Knives. You can see it (or purchase it, should you so choose) at www.swordsdirect.com. Though I've tried to describe it as best I can, I can't quite find words to explain it very well, and it really is a very cool weapon.

Any original characters herein are my own, so please don't steal them. If you would like to "borrow" them, then please give me credit and send me a link so I can see what you're doing with my brain-children. Heh. Any songs or poems in this story ARE written by me, if you borrow them or use them anywhere, don't claim them as your own. Even if they aren't very good, I work very hard on these things and stealing is bad.

Italics with ++ in front of them indicate songs that are being sung aloud. If the ++ isn't there, it's either being written, or just thought.

This is my first attempt at Weiss fanfic, so I apologize for any ooc behavior. I don't have the boys down yet, but this story just wouldn't leave me around until I wrote it. I was planning a one shot. Heh--89 pages later…we have "Calico." Geez. Maybe one-shots just aren't my forte.

Warnings: cross-dressing…sort of. Not much else to note.

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Calico

By: Banshee Puppet

Part One: Caught in the Spider's Web

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"Hurting innocent children?!! I won't…I won't allow it. I won't…I won't ever allow it!!!" 

Aya awoke with a gasp. "Won't ever…allow…" he mumbled. 

It had been on their last mission. "That girl…" He couldn't shake the image of her from his mind. Shoulder length black hair and pale skin, but what haunted his dreams was those gray-green eyes. Cold, unforgiving eyes that had stared right past him at the man he'd come to kill. He'd seen eyes like that somewhere before, and as he stood before the bathroom mirror brushing his teeth, he realized the eyes like that girl's, the eyes that he couldn't place…they were his own. Not the color, but the expression. In another person, it was…haunting. He couldn't forget those eyes at all. 

He leaned over the bath and turned on the faucet, tested the water with his hand. 'Hotter,' he decided, turning the hot tap a little further and letting the old plumbing run for a bit as he stripped out of his pajamas with a pout. God, he really wanted to go back to bed. He hadn't been sleeping right at all. 

He stepped into the steaming water and leaned his hands against the wall, stretching out the kinks in his back and letting the droplets ease out the tension, pinken his flesh. That felt good. Nothing like a nice, hot shower to make your troubles go away. And Aya Fujimiya had plenty of troubles to go around. 

With closed eyes, he ran his fingers through his red hair and those spider-web eyes came back to him. 'I totally failed this time,' he told himself as the scene came back to him. The way she broke the arm that had the gun in it without any trouble or panic at all, the way she snapped the man's neck with no sign of remorse. Aya had stood there watching impotently, his katana held loose at his side. He was supposed to be saving that girl, those children. And that young man who'd died before Weiss had even arrived. And yet, she…she didn't need their help, hadn't needed their help at all.

When they had gotten the mission report, Aya left the room before Birman told them any names. It was better that way. If they were given names, a personal connection was formed. That made it harder to move past, harder to forget. But he couldn't forget anyway, so what was the point? Now, he realized, that girl's name…he wanted to know it. Why did he want to know it?

His hand turned off the water before his mind registered that he'd finished bathing. And only his voice was heard in the silent room at that time.

"Because," he said softly. "She is the person most like myself."

~**~

"Isn't Aya coming down for breakfast?" Omi asked as he finished putting the scrambled eggs and toast onto a large plate in the center of the table. He'd been acting strange for over a week now. Ken reached for an egg with his fingers and Omi slapped his hand away with a scowl. Ken just gave him a smile that said, 'can't blame a guy for trying.' 

"Orange Juice?" Ken asked.

Omi nodded. "But we'll have to go buy some more today. You drink it like it's going out of style Ken."

"I'm a growing boy!" 

"Give it up Ken. You haven't grown an inch in three years. Omi will be taller than you soon," Yohji's voice said from the doorway. They looked to find him yawning and scratching behind his ear. He made a peace sign and said "yo" before dropping into his usual seat and proceeding to cross his arms and fall asleep at the table. He'd still be in bed if he didn't have the morning shift, most definitely.

"Did you hear Aya when you were coming down Yohji?" Omi asked. 

Yohji lifted his head, and after a moment of looking dazed, grinned impishly. Omi was such a cute kid…well, not so much kid anymore, or much longer, but he was always worried about everyone, it was cute, regardless. "Let him sleep, Omi," Yohji said cheerfully. "If he wants to sleep in sometimes it's okay. He'll be up in time for his shift."

Omi sighed. Ken knew what was bothering him. 

"It's not like him," Omi pouted, giving Yohji his coffee and sitting down, staring at the empty spot where Aya's breakfast would go cold…again.

"Aa," Ken said. "That last mission, it went well, mostly, but it really shook him up. Omi's just worried, Yohji."

"We all are, right?" Yohji said, starting to regain consciousness now that the caffeine was circulating through his system. "But Aya isn't the type to talk about it. So he'll just get through it on his own, same as always."

"What do you think's happened though? This isn't like him. He's normally so calm and collected…" Ken said.

Yohji cleared his throat as Aya sat coolly in his seat. He took a sip of his tea and scowled. It was cold. An extended moment of awkward silence passed, and then Aya said evenly, his hair still wet and dripping onto his shirt, "next time you feel like talking about me, make sure I'm not in the room."

Heh. Oops.

"Aya…we're sorry, really! It's just…you're acting so strange. We're worried about you," Omi protested. That kid never knew when to give up.

"Why…did you just…?"

She smiled softly at him and said, "you think it's because I'm angry at him for killing my brother, don't you? But..it's not that at all…"

'…not…that at all…' Aya's mind still traced over the words.

Aya said nothing. There were things that _could_ be said, but he wasn't one to waste words. And they didn't know. They had no idea that he wasn't the one…

'They don't know that I wasn't the one who killed that man.'

~**~

"Yo Birman!" Yohji said cheerfully over the rim of his sunglasses as he dropped his arm over the brunette's shoulder. She had her hair up in a ponytail today, and as a result, her usual school teacher charm was replaced with something reminiscent of an adorable high-schooler. Granted, Birman had been out of school for quite some time, but she still had something of a baby face.

The woman tensed and shrugged out from under his arm. Unlike Manx, Birman just couldn't get used to the overly flirtatious Yohji. And speaking of Manx…

"That's enough, Balinese. You won't have as much time as usual, so we need to debrief you quickly."

"You can debrief me anytime Manx!" Yohji said, using the obvious joke. 

Manx just rolled her eyes, and so did everyone else.

"From the look on your faces, I'd say this one is going to be trouble," Ken scowled.

"I wouldn't say that…exactly," Birman hedged. 

"Let's not beat around the proverbial bush boys. Due to recent circumstances and increasingly more dangerous missions, Persia has decided that Weiss is no longer able to handle such threats as they stand at current moment."

"WHAAT!!!???" Ken freaked, naturally, and the others looked none too pleased. "You're not disbanding us again are you!?" he fumed.

"Not at all," Birman added coolly, trying to get the boys to calm down, which never seemed to be all-business Manx's strong point. "Actually, you're going to be getting a little extra help from now on."

"Define extra help…" Yohji said skeptically.

"A fifth member."

Ken blinked. Omi gaped. Yohji stared over his sunglasses looking confused. And, as usual, Aya wore a pensively skeptical scowl.

"Try not too worry too much about it, just clear out the extra room where you keep all that junk you four have been collecting. Calico is going to need a place to sleep on occasion, after all."

"Calico," Aya stated dryly. So that was the new member's codename. Well, frankly, he didn't like it. Now not only would they have to work, they would have to baby sit some new rookie.

Manx nodded. "Your new member's codename is Calico. Unfortunately, due to the nature of this new case, you'll be meeting for the first time during the mission. It can't be helped."

With each word, Aya's eyes narrowed more dangerously, his scowl grew darker. He didn't like this plan. He didn't like this mission or this plan one little bit. They had their mission parameters. It seemed simple, but there were a lot of guards and a lot of ways to make mistakes if they weren't careful. Security was top notch, but that wasn't usually a problem with Omi and his hacking skills. The problem was there were two separate places within the building that needed to get hit, and this newbie was going to be…doing something else, apparently, so that meant somebody had to go alone. Of course, Aya volunteered. He'd always been a lone wolf, and though he knew the advantages of teamwork, he still felt if someone had to go it alone, it would be best for it to be him. 

He would carry out the assassination. Ken and Yohji would rescue the "test subjects". Omi would take care of security. And apparently Calico would be doing…something that he didn't understand the least little bit, but Omi nodded gravely.

"Are you sure?" the youngest member of Weiss asked. "Even the slightest miscalculation…"

Manx smiled slightly. "I wouldn't worry about _that_ person. Calico, if nothing else, still seems to have a very strong will to live. God only knows why. Anyway, here."

Manx handed a small envelope to Omi. It was hand-written, but you'd hardly know that the whole thing was written by the same person.

"What is it?" Yohji asked, peering over the young man's shoulder from behind the couch.

"Looks like our first communication from Calico," Omi said, reading aloud:

_Avoid second level conference room and all vents excluding first floor duct, west wing. Rendezvous at point 7-3-21 (see blueprints enclosed) at 03:27. Don't be late. Keep your ears open. From the fist "clanking noise" you'll have exactly twelve minutes to make it to rendezvous. Watch out for the heat sensors on the third level. And if you hear a ticking sound and don't see a clock within 3 yards, duck. …quickly._

~Calico~

"Well, there you have it. I know you're not the most trusting guys in the world, but I'm sure you'll all get along just fine."

Aya's glare darkened on Manx.

"I don't like it," Yohji huffed. "It sounds like we're going to be putting a lot of faith in someone we don't even know, who's going to be doing something that we have no information on."

"If it works out though, extra help will be good, right?" Ken offered.

"I wonder what he's like," Omi thought aloud.

"Don't give me that look," Manx scolded the two elder members like spoiled children. "I think you'll all get along just fine."

Birman nodded and chuckled. "It's true," she said. "The first time I met that one, I thought, 'wow, it's Abysinnian…only shorter…and without the sword.'" Her expression got more gentle. "Seriously though, just trust that Calico is a person who will not allow innocent people to get hurt. I think, the only place in the whole world for someone like that one…is Weiss."

Yohji sighed. "Aya, only shorter, and without a sword, huh? So we're dealing with a monosyllabic, grumpy midget who likes to throw temper tantrums?"

Yohji rubbed the back of his head after a textbook came flying in his direction. "Ow! Aya!"

Aya just glared at him, but it was his "good natured" glare. The one that said, 'haha very funny, now shut up before I throw the whole shelf.'

"It's not that," Birman said softly as she stopped before ascending the stairs. "It's just…the eyes. Anyway, good luck."

"Birman!" Ken called on second thought. "What's his name?"

Birman gave them a sad little smile before turning and leaving without giving them an answer.

~**~

"Why didn't you tell them?" Manx asked when Birman closed the car door.

"The name that that person has…is not one that can be used so easily. Calico is a person who can create an entirely new identity. I wouldn't dream of taking that chance away from her."

"Do you really think this is a good idea? Putting that girl in the flower shop with Yohji around?" Manx said wryly.

Birman smiled, amused at the joke.

"Oh, I think it'll be just fine. Anyway, you and I both know what happened on their last mission. After that sort of thing… …"

"It has to be Weiss. A person like that has nowhere else to go. You're right, of course. Still, they're all so young. It's a shame."

~**~

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"It's just…this sort of person will never be punished by the law. If Taro was the last one, if I could be sure this man would never cause any trouble again, I would be able to walk away and leave him his life. But I'm not an idealist, and I can't allow him to hurt anyone else. That's all. People like this…can't be allowed to continue down such dark paths. That's all. You understand, right?"

"I…" Aya had been at a loss for words. This person was…someone who understood. If she knew who he was, why he was here…she wouldn't have a problem with it at all. 

"It's okay. Don't say anything. I already know the answers, because, you're the person…" Those spider-web eyes locked his like a magnet, like she couldn't help it any more than he could. "You're the person…" she seemed to be lost, unable to put the right words to what they both already understood, but didn't really understand much at all. "…who's most similar to me in this world," she decided on finally. "Well, the police will be here soon. You should go."

"What are you…?"

"Going to do? Who knows? I think I'll wait for them to arrest me. I did kill somebody , after all. It's no more than I deserve, right? It doesn't matter who he was or how bad. I still killed a person, and I won't run away from that."

Aya sighed, staring up at the ceiling. He was supposed to be resting before what promised to be a very annoying mission, but he couldn't get his mind off of that girl. He still couldn't forget about her, when he should be thinking of someone else entirely, of Calico. He scowled at the thought. "A fifth member of Weiss, huh?" he said, sitting up. "That person…does that mean that this person, is also dead?" He threw his legs over the side of the bed and decided to head downstairs.

"How terrible," Ken said, clenching his fists on his knees from where he watched the television. News. Ken really only ever watched sports or the news. He liked to call the news "homework". Knowing everything that was going on would be good should a case arise that he'd seen something about. Well, it was something like that. It had yet to happen that Ken ever remembered what he saw though…

"What is it?" Aya asked as he leaned against the wall.

Omi looked up from the corner where he was working on the computer again. He was busy trying not to pay attention to the news. Didn't want to think about it.

"Do you remember that mission two weeks ago, Aya?"

Aya's eyes widened marginally. 'Two weeks ago…' _"I won't ever allow it!"_ Remember? He'd been trying to forget. "What about it?" he asked finally.

"It seems that guy, the singer, died in a car accident yesterday. Drunk driver."

'That, guy. The singer…but…he's been dead for two weeks! He was the one who'd died before…what the hell is going on?!'

"What do you mean died in a car accident?" Aya demanded. "That guy died before we even got there," he said, taking a few steps forward and glaring at the television. He knew that guy was dead.

"Are you sure you're not just over-tired Aya?" Yohji asked from the stairwell. "We all know that mission got to you. It was the guitarist that died, wasn't it? His sister."

"NO!" Aya demanded of them angrily. "I'm telling you it was _that_ guy. I'm absolutely positive. That girl…she was definitely alive when we left." He clamped his mouth shut. He'd already said too much. Damnit.

"Aya?" Ken asked, eyes wide. "What are you…?"

"I'm going out," Aya said. "I'll be back in time for the mission." 

'That girl. That girl is definitely not dead. If she…no…she would never die that easily. I refuse to believe it.'

It wasn't until he got halfway down the street that he realized he didn't even have a name to go on. Had no idea where that man's body was buried. He pulled over to the side of the road and rested his head on the steering wheel. 'Damnit. What's wrong with me?'

"Aya?"

Aya's head shot up. "Sakura…" 

Sakura, she'd told him she was in love with him once. Maybe she still was. But to return her love…it was…impossible. 'I'm sorry. But even now that Aya has returned to me, all I can see in you is her.'

"Are you alright, Aya?"

"Fine."

"You're lying," she said, smiling sweetly down at him as she leaned on the car door. "What's wrong? Something you can't tell me about, right?"

"… …" He said nothing right away. By all rights, that was true. 

"Aya-chan is at the store. She wanted to buy Black Friday's newest CD. That accident. It's so sad, they're all dead now," Sakura sighed. "They weren't very much older than us, and they were just about to become really popular. And then poor Taro-kun, dying in that car accident last night. But at least he'll get to go to be with his sister. It's so sad, but I have to think about it like that, or I might start crying again," Sakura said.

It took a moment for Aya's mind to do the math. That's right. That mission two weeks ago. It had been a new band who was doing a benefit concert for a Children's Hospital that was being used as a base for medical experimentation. Dozens of children had been killed over it. And one of the people in the band seemed to have some inside information. How they got it was a mystery, but that's how that guy ended up dead, that guy the news was calling "Taro". 

"Sakura, is there anywhere I can see a picture of this band?" his voice came off a little more urgent than he meant it to. He didn't know why he cared, really. Weiss had done their job. He should let it go, move on…but…something just wasn't settling right about all of this at all.

Sakura dug around in her backpack and produced the album. The band members were on the cover, and, sure enough under "Taro's arm" was a girl who looked almost identical to him. A girl with black hair and gray-green eyes. 

__

"…you understand, don't you?" 'Twins. They were twins. But, then, is she really dead? Was she killed by a drunk driver?' _"I think I'll wait for them to arrest me. I did kill somebody , after all. It's no more than I deserve, right? It doesn't matter who he was or how bad. I still killed a person, and I won't run away from that."_ But, then, why would she be in that car? Wasn't she going to let herself get arrested. She shouldn't even have been on the street. It had to be a mistake, right? The reporters got it wrong.

"Aya, what is it?"

"I…know this girl. There's got to be a mistake. It doesn't make any sense."

"Oh Aya. Even you can be in shock, huh?" Sakura said sadly as he handed the album back to her. "I'm sorry. Were you close?"

"I…didn't even know her name," he answered before turning the car back on and driving off again without another word. He just needed to clear his head before the mission, that was all. She was dead. People died all the time. It was just that something seemed so off about it somehow, something that seemed so contrived. And he wasn't really sure why he cared.

"Ran! Ran!" He looked up from where he'd parked his car on the side of the road. He hadn't even realized he'd stopped driving, he was so preoccupied.

"Aya…" he got out of the car in time for his sister to cheerfully tackle him, a small shopping bag in her hand. He gave her a little squeeze in return. It still felt like a dream: Aya being awake and well.

"How are you? You haven't come by to see us in our new apartment yet, you know," she scolded her brother. Since she and Sakura had met, they had hit it off really well, and now they shared a small apartment while they worked and went to school. It had been about two months.

"I've been busy with work," he hedged.

"Pah. Liar. Sakura said she saw you driving around a little while ago. You were troubled. Do you want to talk about it big brother?"

"Not really."

"Jerk."

"…" 

"Hey, is it really true? What Sakura said…" Aya-chan shifted her weight from foot too foot. "You knew Taro's sister."

Aya nodded slightly. "We met once, so I guess you could say I know her."

"It's so sad!" Aya-chan protested. "I learned a saying in school," Aya-chan said. "In my English class. It was something like… 'the candle that burns brightly only burns for a very short time.' Do you think that's really true? So bright…that's just too sad…"

'A candle…' An image of those spider-web eyes passed through his mind once again. 'Is that really…how it was for her? Like a flickering candle…?'

"How old was she?" the word escaped his lips before he knew what he was asking. He didn't realize he wasn't asking about all of them, or even both of them, just her, just that one girl.

"She was nineteen. Ran, did you like her?"

"Of course not," he scoffed.

"You really did, didn't you?"

"Cut it out, Aya," he grumbled as she reached up to touch his face. He caught her hand. "It's nothing like that at all. I met her once. I didn't even know her name." He got back in the car. "Do you want a ride somewhere?"

Aya-chan shook her head. "No, I'm just going home. It's only around the block."

"Alright. Be careful then."

"Ran? Do you want a copy of their cd? She sings on it. She never sang on any of the other ones. It's such a pretty song. I think you'll like it. Do you want…?"

"… …yeah. Thanks. I'll stop by to pick it up sometime next week, okay?"

Aya-chan smiled. "Okay! Call before you come! Sakura and I will make dinner alright!"

"Fine."


	2. Chapter Two: Bindings

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Calico

By: Banshee Puppet

Part Two: Bindings

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I cut my hair because, at that time, it was no longer forbidden. I bound my breasts because, at that time, being a woman was just…far too painful. They say that starting something with a lie can only bring misery.

My name is Rie Takane, and I am a liar. I always have been. It can't be helped. 

But, even so…

Even so, I do have one honest wish.

I wish…to protect. 

Hah! Pretty vague, isn't it? I don't understand it either, really. I just don't want anyone else to die…because of me.

~**~

"Have you memorized the schematics yet, Calico?" Birman asked, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Easily. I have a photographic memory, remember? You don't need to worry about that sort of thing with me. This…" she said, looking down at the weapons on the table before her. "This, is the hard part."

"Are you having second thoughts?" Manx asked as she entered the room.

"Not at all," Calico said. "I was just thinking, they're all so cool, it's hard to decide."

"I've brought a few more, actually. Since you seem to be having such trouble," Manx said, spilling out the contents of the bag onto the table.

"Aa. I'm considering the mace, but it's awfully big. I think something smaller is better. It's so heavy. Not that it's too heavy, precisely, but it might slow me down."

She turned her eyes to the new items on the table, slipped things out of their cases and back in, and then…she found it. 

"Aah! So cool!" she gushed, forgetting her troubles for the moment as she lifted the weapon to let the light reflect off of it. "It's an uber-dagger! This is the one!" She gave the impression that if it was less sharp and pointy, she'd be hugging the damn thing. She ran her finger along the flat side of one of the four blades.

"It's called the Griffyn. It's put out by Gil Hibben Knives," Manx said clinically. "Eleven inches, double blades, four of them, as you can well see…"

"Eleven inches, and that's not including the hilt. This blade here is fake, right, but it can be sharpened to be made useful. The hilt is short, but just the right size for me, since I don't have very large hands. And it's a thick hilt, very easy to grip, and lightweight, but not so light that you can forget it's there. Since it has four blades, even if the target evades, they'll most likely run into at least one of them. The two flat sides of a normal dagger are too easy to avoid. You'd have to dodge this early, and I'll be able to see that coming. I'd better, or I'm rustier than I thought…with the martial arts, that is. This'll be just fine. Can you get me a sharpening stone? I'd like to take care of this false blade right away. Not that I'll be likely to use it tonight, but better safe than sorry, or so they say. Also, would one of you mind?" she asked, tossing a box in their direction before sliding the dagger back into it's case.

"Hair dye?" Manx asked. 

"If I stay as I am, I may be recognized," she said gently. "Anyway, I have very pale skin, so even such a light brown as that should look pretty natural. If I'm dead, like you say…then I should be dead all the way, right?"

"I'll do it," Birman said. "Manx will only mess it up. I see you cut it by yourself too. It's very choppy. Let me clean it up for you."

"Only if you're quick. I still have lots of preparations to make. The timing as it is, for the rendezvous is off. I'll be too early if things go according to plan. I'm overlooking something I think. What about my glasses?"

"They're here," Manx said, handing them over. "Going from a black-haired musician with 20/20 vision to a blonde-haired girl who works as a florist. It's a pretty dramatic change, isn't it?"

"Acutally, I'll be a blonde-haired _boy_ with glasses who works in a florist, Manx. Does it bother you? Isn't this exactly what you had in mind?"

Birman's hand stopped where she was cutting Calico's hair in surprise. Even Manx had nothing to say immediately.

"Is that really what you want? To be a boy?"

"To be _him_, you mean? Why not? I look just like him, and he looks just like me. That's how my brother ended up buried in a grave that was supposed to be mine, right? Anyway, I've made my choice. I won't back down now."

~**~

__

I cut my hair because, at that time, it was no longer forbidden. I bound my breasts because, at that time, being a woman was just…far too painful to bear. I began to wear glasses because it seemed to be the logical thing to do. My goal was to become an entirely different person, to look in the mirror and see a stranger.

Because I don't think I can spend the rest of my life waking up to my brother's face.


	3. Chapter Three: Judgement

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Calico

By: Banshee Puppet

Part Three: Judgment

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"So then, this is it. Is everybody ready?" Omi asked as he slipped his laptop into his backpack. "We have a few minutes, so let's go over the details one last time. Siberian?"

Ken yawned. They'd been over this more than a dozen times already. I'll be with Balinese. We'll follow the blueprints as planned from the first floor corridor, up the stairs in the east wing to the second story. There will be a door on the left. It'll probably be locked, so I keep my eyes peeled while he works his way inside. There might be guards. Take them out if we have to, but don't go out of the way looking for trouble. From there, we rescue the hostages. Get them out using the fire escape two rooms over. It's the quickest route. Rendezvous at the designated point at 03:27."

"Abysinnian?"

Aya was annoyed with the routine check too, as necessary as it was. "I'll be taking the back door in. Head up to the fourth floor and go straight for the target. Take out any guards that get in the way and be careful. There shouldn't be many because _Calico_ will be setting off false alarms and doing some weird thing to the video equipment," he said Calico snidely, he still didn't like the idea of some rookie who he knew nothing about being the person who's supposed to be keeping him alive, but it was too late to turn back now. "Assassinate the target. Rendesvous at 03:27 at point 7-3-21."

"Right. I'll be taking down the security, but only so much of that can be done with the computer from my location. Calico will be doing the on-the-spot work, so he has to know the building better than any of us. But I'm not worried. With only the four of us, this would be a very difficult job, so an extra person will be very useful. We'll use these earpieces to keep in contact. Though radio silence is preferable, if you find yourself in a pinch, say so, and we'll back you up. Calico will also be setting a series of small bombs, so listen for ticking noises. Most of them are very simple time bombs, but they _may_ be touch sensitive so be careful! Alright, that's everything then, let's get going."

~**~  


The sizzle of the radio's static burned his ears. Though they'd been on many missions, they had never used something like this before. Though it was good, none of them were really certain about them. Occasionally, some little whisper would pass thorough the static. First, it was Omi. "First level clear," Bombay said. Nothing in reply. 

"Redirecting cameras. Give me a five second loop, Bombay." 

That was the first time he heard that voice. It sounded a little gravelly over the static, but the first impression that Yohji got of Calico, was that he must be a soft-spoken person. Still, even that didn't seem like quite the right word.

"Balinese. Stop playing around. We only have five minutes," Ken said.

"R-right. Alright everybody, don't worry, you're going to be just fine. Just don't panic and we'll get you out of here," he said.

~**~

"Third floor conference room secure," the voice came over again. Aya was trying to ignore it. But he heard Omi's replies each time. It seemed like the kid had found the perfect partner.

"Roger that. Delaying input on the camera across the hall. What's next, Calico?"

So Ken and Yohji, they'd always worked well together. And now this new kid and, but Aya was still alone. It had never bothered him before, so why now? And he was still haunted by those spider-web eyes. Now wasn't the time to think of it.

His eyes shot up. The clanking sound. Twelve minutes. But what _was _ that. He had to move it. That much was obvious. To have to wait for the security to clear, take out guards, he wouldn't have long once he got upstairs.

"Alright, fourth floor is clear." _Crackle. Thud._ "I'll leave it in your hands, Abyssinian."

He didn't reply. Even if he was the person who was likely to, there was no time for chit-chat. Okay, so the guy had proven his worth. He knew that's what Omi would say anyway. But that didn't mean he had to like him.

There were all sorts of noises up ahead. He thought he'd have trouble, but the two guards he found were already down, not to mention the far end of the hallway…well, didn't exist anymore, apparently. 'Bomb,' his mind realized a little belatedly. He frowned slightly. This just wasn't the way they'd done things in the past, and he didn't like it. Bombs. They were, sometimes, very necessary, but to make use of them on a normal basis…it didn't sit right. Anyway, he had work to do, and not a lot of time to do it in. 

~**~ 

Ken wiped his brow. "Alright, good. Bombay, we're done here. We're heading to the rendezvous."

"Understood. I'll be doing the same shortly," Omi replied.

~**~

__

'Not a lot of…not a lot of time!!!!' 

I cut my hair. I bound my breasts. I… but am I really still…just the same as I've always been? No. _NO!_

I'm not that impotent. My calculations are right. He shouldn't be taking this long! If he doesn't hurry. Damnit!

"Abyssinian, what are you doing?!? Get the hell out of there!"

The radio crackled. There was silence. Bad, very bad. She had to hurry. 'I can't…I can't let anyone else die! I wish…to protect….'

"Abyssinian!"

Ah, now she heard a voice. It was a soft voice, but definitively masculine. She wondered if she sounded even a little bit like a man, or if her impersonation was as fake-sounding to others as it was to her. 

"The target isn't here."

"Idiot! Don't worry about that now! You've got to get out of there!"

That's true, the clanking was much louder in this room. He hadn't even heard Calico's voice right away. 

__

'Damnit damnit damnit! Am I…going to make it on time?'

"Calico…"

"What is it Abyssinian?"

"Do you know how to pick locks?"

"Huh? Yeah. Why?"

"Because this door is sealed shut. I'm stuck in here."

__

'Damnit!' "Just hang tight. I'm almost there. And whatever you do… for god's sake, DON'T TOUCH THAT BOOKSHELF."

Aya looked skeptically at the bookshelf, which he now realized was the source of that clanking noise. He wasn't sure of many things in life, but he knew, _this_ was bad.

__

'Not a lot of time. Not a lot of. Not a lot…I need more time than this!' Calico's mind hissed at her.

"Ah shit. Hell with it. Abyssinian! Get away from the door!"

"Away…from the…what the hell are you planning to do!?!!"

"Just shut up and get away from the door! We don't have time to be arguing right now."

Not that he really wanted to listen to some rookie, but…he wasn't stupid either. He did as he was told, sheathing his katana on the way, and a small explosion took out the door. Next thing he know he's being tackled by something blonde and he feels a surge of heat swell over his face. 

"Too close," the voice mumbled, looking back and away from him briefly before getting up. "It should be safe now. There's only one bomb left, and I have the trigger for that," he said.

Aya's eyes widened. That profile. That face.

__

'Wh--at? What is this?' Calico wondered. "A secret room. Heh. I should have known. Those blueprints looked kinda funny."

"Bombay. Change of plans," she said into her earpiece. "Get the car at point 7-7-24. We'll meet you at intercept point 5-0-30 in five minutes."

"Roger that. We're on our way. Is everything alright up there Calico?"

"Yeah. It'll be fine now. We just found a secret room. There's a computer in here. It looks like there's something interesting here after all. This shouldn't take long."

Aya couldn't do much. He stood impotently behind the blonde man, watching the light from the computer screen reflect off of his glasses.

"Kodomo," the newbie grumbled. "I should've known."

At that moment, her head jerked up. "Shit," she whispered under her breath. "Bastards. Time to go, Abyssinian."

"What about the…" he was about to ask about the computer, the information. 

"Don't ask about stupid stuff now!" Calico protested. "Do you want to die that badly!? Well, I won't let you!" she snapped at him. '_The person most like myself…I won't allow it!'_

Before Aya knew what was going on, Calico had him by the wrist and was dragging him down the hall. Even with his long legs, he was running to keep up. _'The profile though, the face. It has to be…her twin. He's changed his hair, and put on glasses, but…the eyes. He has exactly the same eyes she does. Why the hell did it have to be him? Why…am I going to have to look at this face every day from now on…remembering her, but never…why do I care, that this guy…he lost too, but…even so…' _Aya couldn't even keep hold of one clear thought. He was only sure of one thing…

"We're taking the express," Calico said. _'Not a lot of time, not a lot of time…!' _"Oh, hell with it!" he mumbled, slamming a rather large dagger into the elevator's control panel. It sizzled and popped, and the door opened. Before Aya could protest, his feet were no longer on solid ground and a large burst of heat brushed past them, the large banging noise signifying this was no small explosion. He opened his eyes to find himself hanging onto Calico by the waist, the other holding him around the shoulders with one arm, the other holding tightly to the elevator cable, which was shaking from the force of the blow. The dagger was held by the hilt between the young man's teeth. It was like something out of a B-rated action movie.

Yeah, Aya was only sure of one thing right now….

"Are you completely insane!!!! You could have killed us both!!" he screamed. He didn't realize he had that sort of tone in him, but now that it was out, it felt good, relieved some of the tension, and this guy…grr!

"Would you rather take the chance of not dying, or be back there on the now non-existent fourth floor. For me, it was any easy call to make. If you want to die that badly, Abyssinian, next time, make sure you're somewhere that I can't reach you. Now hold on tight. We're going down."

__

"I'm not an idealist, and I can't allow him to hurt anyone else. That's all. People like this…can't be allowed to continue down such dark paths. That's all."

'That's all. Nothing more to it. I'm not an idealist either. That's all. Why? I only met you once, for such a short time…the candle that burns brightest…so why do I miss you so much?'

"Calico! Abyssinian!" It was Yohji's panicked voice over the radio. Aya heard it. He didn't intend to reply, but as he looked up at the boy who was sliding down the wire, bearing his weight, he saw the dagger still in his mouth, and his eyes widened to see that blood was dripping out from under the brown leather gloves he wore.

'_The only place for someone like that, is Weiss.' _ He understood now. Now, he understood. 'I'm sorry. It's not your fault. She was…your sister. I'm sorry…' It still didn't sit right, but he couldn't deny the facts. This small, slender young man had saved his life today. Twice. 'Calico. What's your name? I want to know it.' 

"We're here," Aya said finally. "Both of us."

"Mmnph," Calico said, looking down at Aya. Spider-web eyes. Just the same…

And the message seemed to be clear. 'Get this dagger out of my mouth so I can speak.' 

Aya reached up and did so. He felt a little useless right now. He'd be helping, if he knew where they were going…and shimmying down elevator cords wasn't really something he'd ever figured he needed to be any good at… He knew he'd just end up sliding down until he hit the bottom, and his guess was then he'd have to find a way back up to ground level.

"Are you at the intercept point?" Calico asked as he stopped down the wire.

"Yeah, we're all right here. But we can't just hang around like this much longer," Ken replied.

"You're not standing by the wall, are you?"

"No, why?" Yohji asked.

"Good," Calico said.

__

'I wonder what he means by that?' Aya wondered an instant before he found out as a small exploding pellet hit the plaster and smashed it outwards. 

"Time to jump, Abyssinian. You can make it, right?"

Aya blinked. The lights in the parking garage blinded him a bit. They'd been in the dark only for a short while, but it felt like much longer.

"Yeah," he replied. "Not a problem." He adjusted to get a grip on the wire above Calico's head. So close, at that moment, close enough to kiss, really.

"Unh," he grunted swinging himself out of the hole in the wall onto the pavement.

Only then, did he take the time to look over his shoulder as Calico shifted his body weight to swing the wire a bit closer and swung.

Aya's eyes widened. 'He's not gonna make it!' he thought. The jump was too short, there was no way he would clear this…

But again, the fifth Weiss member surprised him, as his left hand caught onto the edge of the hole and he pulled himself up and over with an "oof."

He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his middle finger. "Okay, so, maybe not as smooth as I'd have liked, but not too bad!" he said with a slight laugh, scratching the back of his head. "Let's get going then."

"Ah, I'm…"

Calico waved off Omi's attemt at an introduction. "Later. No time to waste on silly things like that right now. With all the noise, the police will probably come soon, and there's still one more bomb…well, that I set anyway. Who knows what else those Kodomo bastards have in there. Did all the hostages get out safely?" he asked, telling Yohji, "move over, I'm driving."

"Excuse me?" Yohji protested at the same time as Ken agreed. "Yeah, twelve girls between the ages of 11 and 26, all clear."

Calico's head shot around to stare at Ken. "Did you just say twelve?"

"Yes?" Ken asked. "Is something…?"

"There were only supposed to be eleven."

A moment of silence passed. So, we saved an extra kid, what's wrong with that?" Omi asked. He didn't understand for once.

Aya grumbled something under his breath and Yohji noted the look in Calico's eyes. He understood perfectly. Shoving his sunglasses on top of his head he said. "It means one of them was probably a spy."

"A spy….hey, what about that secret room, did you get anything?" Omi remembered suddenly.

Aya started to shake his head, "there wasn't any time to…"

"Of course!" Calico said, tapping her temple. "You shouldn't worry so much Abyssinian. It's better to not have a hard copy of these things."

"You think you'll remember all that? You're crazy," Aya scoffed.

"No sweat. I have a photographic memory. Don't worry about a thing. It'll stay in my brain for the rest of my natural life. I used to think, why couldn't it be something cool, like being double-jointed or something. Couldn't figure how a photographic memory was good for anything but homework back then, but it's been pretty useful to me so far."

Yohji kept looking at him strangely. Aya couldn't help but notice. He wasn't even trying to hide it. But Calico…well, he was either totally oblivious, or pretending to be. If Aya had to guess, from what he'd seen so far, it was the latter.

~**~

"You've been staring at me since we first met. Is there something on your mind?" Calico asked.

Yohji said nothing at first. He wasn't a subtle man, but he knew better than to jump into a conversation that started with the sentence, 'I know you're really a woman.' And her disguise, as it were, was actually really good. But she didn't smell like a man.

"Not really. I was just wondering who you are."

"Nobody important," she answered curtly, thoughtlessly.

"But you still haven't told us your name, Calico," Ken said as he joined the others downstairs. "Sorry, those damn girls upstairs just refuse to go away," he rolled his eyes.

"My name…" she trailed off slightly. "I don't have one anymore."

Aya's eyes softened a bit. Even if this guy did have the same face as the girl he knew, the gentle expressions she had, none of them were there. But right now, for a moment, he could almost swear it was her. They were twins, after all. Identical. But that's only icing. It's all on the surface. Underneath they probably weren't that way at all. 

"What kind of crap is that? You must have been someone before…" Yohji was getting frustrated. Calico was frustrated too. She knew these questions would come, she'd prepared answers, but her photographic memory decided to conveniently forget the script.

"It's because of who you used to be, right?" Aya said finally. "Your name would be easily recognized. Your face too, so you dyed your hair and started wearing glasses. I'm right, aren't I? You're a musician."

"That…was three weeks and a lifetime ago…Aya."

They'd given her their names. She owed them one, finally, she nodded. "My name was Taro Takane, but that's not a name that I can go around giving to people. So, I don't have a name right now. I guess, I'll have to make something up then." She was silent for a long time. Names…she wasn't any good with them, anything she ever thought of sounded too contrived. She listened to the clock tick on the wall. Her mind was a total blank on this one.

Finally, Aya sighed. "We'll call you Ran, alright?" he grumbled. He wasn't much good with names either, in truth. "You can think of a last name, can't you?"

She was relieved for the save. She didn't realize what the others knew, that they were all looking at him in surprise. But it's not as if they called him Ran anyway, might as well get some use out of the name his parents gave him. "Toshinaru," she said quickly. It was actually the name of one of the other band members, but no one knew that, since he always used a nickname. It would be fine that way. Anyway, it was the first thing that came to mind. "Thanks. I suck at naming things."

"Ran Toshinaru. Alright then," Ken said. "Do you know anything about flowers, Ran?"

"Uh," he scratched behind his ear. "Not in the slightest, actually."

Ken laughed. Omi laughed. This was a person who was like Aya? That's what Birman and Manx said, but he didn't seem to act like Aya at all. Although, the eyes--cold, expressive eyes--they were similar. Yeah, that much was true at least. Even when he smiled "Ran" had very lonely eyes. And Aya did seem to take a liking to him, or a disliking. It was so hard to tell. He watched him. When he thought nobody was looking, he would watch the man he'd given his name to.

__

~**~

"Ah look! They're all here! Today will be very good!" one of the girls squealed. Aya was busy ignoring that they were there at all, while, as usual, the others worked while trying to fend them off.

__

'I cut my hair because it was no longer forbidden. I bound my breasts…' 

"Well, Ran, first day of a new life. Better not keep this crazy world waiting."

She loosely tied the smock on, adjusting her glasses again. They were totally fake, just plain glass lenses, but no one needed to know that. Anyway, they were kind of cute, and it didn't matter. She was an assassin now, but a cover was necessary too. She couldn't let on that she remembered Aya from that night, that her brother died, that she recognized him as the person who was most like herself. So instead, she took to behaving as her brother would, tried to adopt his sunny disposition, his entire personality.

"Okay, ready to work!" she said cheerfully as she pushed open the door. She blinked when she saw all the girls. Geez, it was hard to move around with all these people in such a small shop.

Everything seemed to stop. "Oh! You got a new employee! He's so cute!" one of the girl's squealed. Before he knew it, Toshinaru Ran was backed into a corner, ringing out his ear from one who'd just squealed right at him. He wasn't much taller than she was, and as a result, his eardrum felt like it was bleeding.

"What's your name? Where are you from? Do you have a girlfriend?" The endless stream of questions was…relentless.

"T-Toshinaru Ran. Kyoto. Uh…no?" 

Ken winced. Ooo. That last one was the wrong answer. Aya moved to step in and "save the newbie", causing Ken and Omi to look rather surprised, even if he looked like he was irritated at having to do it. "Uhm, I have work to do, okay. So, we'll talk sometime later?" she offered with a winning smile.

"Ah so cute! He smiles like Takane-kun! Did you know, you resemble Takane-kun from Black Friday?" 

She waved it off. "Aa. People tell me that all the time. But I think I'm a little older, so maybe it's he that looks like me, or…looked, actually," he put on a pout. Good acting there. And a good save. "But since he's the famous one, people always say I look like him. Seriously though, I have to work now, and you cute girls are all too distracting! Isn't school going to start soon?"

"Ah! He's right! We'll see you later Aya-kun, Yohji-kun, Ken-kun, Omi-kun, Ran-chan!" the girl giggled and pinched the new boy's cheek. 

"…chan?" he frowned slightly. 

"It's because you're so cute!" the girl giggled as she ran off.

Ran leaned against the wall with a sigh and pushed his fingers thorough his hair. "Is it always like this?"

"Pretty much, except during breaks. It'll be busy again when school lets out, but now that they're gone it should be slow and we can teach you what to do."

"Okay. Ready and willing to learn! What's first?"

~**~

In the end, I couldn't name many of the flowers, and didn't know how to treat them, so I ended up doing deliveries. It was easy to find places, since I know my way around Tokyo very well, and I was always cheerful and kind with the customers…

"But it's so tiring," she sighed as she flopped back into bed, lacing her fingers behind her head. "Acting so cheerful all the time is very tiring. And speaking with his voice. I have to be careful not to slip. Since my natural voice is much more feminine…" She sighed. 'Well, I'm sure I'll get used to it as time goes by.

She tossed herself out of bed and leaned on the window sill, letting the breeze toss her short hair about. "My name, is Takane Rie," she whispered. "And I will never forgive you…Kodomo."

She turned back into the room and removed her glasses, pulled the notebook and pen out of the top drawer. 'And even now, I can't stop these songs from spilling out of my broken heart.'

__

When you left me standing

I thought I'd planned it

All alone 

And wanting for nothing

A child that wanted nothing

And was not wanted

This, I thought, was a perfect dream…

She crinkled the paper and threw it towards the trash can, but missed, and started again.

__

If my dream was to love, 

And be loved in return,

Then I have failed.

Again, she threw the paper away. Again, she tried to write. It was too difficult without her voice to guide her. Her voice, which had been traded for her hair and her breasts. Her voice, which was now forbidden. But, her voice was something that she simply couldn't bind any longer. Again, she moved to the window. Even a hollow whisper would be enough. It would have to be, because it's all that she had left to give. Her music--that had been another life.

__

++Is it too much to ask?

This dream

This life.

My death.

I have no promises left to keep

No more dreams to beckon sleep

No more life to call my own

And without you here…

No home.

Once again I'm all alone….

And if you save me tonight,

I'll have no fear.

If you turn out the light

I'll be waiting here.

If you …

Only you.

No one else but you…

She stopped--that sound. She knew it better than anyone else. That song. That voice. Hers. No one else's but hers. Who was listening to her song?

~**~

He'd decided to stop by to see his sister and Sakura a little earlier than he'd intended. In truth, he just really needed the distraction. He had forgotten about the cd that Aya-chan had said she'd copy for him. But it was different now. He just wanted to hear that girl's voice again. He wondered if he would be able to listen to it without thinking about Taro now, no, Calico, no…Ran. Yeah, that's right. He'd given that guy his own name. He wasn't sure why. He'd just looked so lost and, he really did have his sister's eyes.

"So, is there anything new Ran?" Aya-chan asked. It was really difficult for Sakura to get used to calling him that, but his sister couldn't call him anything else. As a result, he was a man with two names.

Aya said nothing right away. He hadn't called ahead, but they still insisted he stay for dinner. "A new person came to work at the Koneko," he said vaguely.

"Really? Oh, who is it? Boy or girl? Are they nice?" Aya-chan tackled him with questions. 

'His name is…Ran."

"Ran? Really? Another Ran, that's got to be confusing!"

Sakura shook her head as she put the tea kettle down.

"Probably not, you're the only one who still calls him Ran, Aya-chan. Nobody else could get used to calling him that after using Aya for so long."

"Hn," Aya agreed. "His name is…Toshinaru Ran."

"Ah, I think when I meet him, I'll have to call him Toshinaru-san," Aya-chan said. "So we won't get confused when you're together."

A moment passed quickly through his mind of Ran's first day on the job, at the shop, with all those girls after Aya-chan said that and he was surprised as a bubbly feeling burst from his chest. It started as a small niggle, then it was a chuckle, and suddenly he was acutally laughing. It was a small laugh, but his lips had peeled back and he looked happy for once. Sakura was really very surprised.

"Aya?" she asked. "Oh no, no, it's nothing, really. Haha." 'So then, why can't I stop laughing?"

"Nothing, but you're laughing Aya! I've never seen you do that before."

"No, it's just…Toshinaru-san. Haha. His first day, all those girls where there, and they called him Ran-chan. He looked so discouraged. "chan?" he asked. You just reminded me of that, that's all."

"They called him "chan?" They don't even call Omi "chan"!" Sakura protested.

"Yeah, that's why it's funny. He's older than Omi, but shorter than Ken. They said because he was cute. Ken teased him about it for hours."

"It sounds like things are much more lively there now!" Aya-chan giggled. "I want to meet him! The person who makes my big brother laugh."

"You make it sound like he's my girlfriend or something. Geez, Aya."

"Oh! I have that CD for you!"

"Aa. I'd forgotten about it."

~**~

__

++We walked this broken road hand in hand

Carried our tattered crosses

Burned the bridges that we left behind…

And I held you,

All the times you cried

'cause no one's there

You were scared

And needed a shoulder to lean on.

And if this is all I am to you,

Than take what you need,

Take all of me

Nothing else matters to me.

I'm the queen of nothing.

I will follow you down

Bear our broken dreams

I'll write these songs for you (only you)

I'm the queen of nothing.

No more tears,

Don't be afraid.

If you're kneeling down,

I'll kneel with you,

And pretend to pray

To the queen of nothing.

Unwanted children drown

Without a word

We carried our cumbersome crosses

And our cries were never heard

Even in the bed we've made,

Laying flowers on the grave

And you smiled like you knew what happiness was…

And I'm still the queen of nothing (queen of nothing, queen nothing…)

I'm still nothing.

Aya opened his eyes and sighed. "The Queen of Nothing, huh?" he whispered. "I guess that's true, now. But even so…I wanted to know you, Takane-san. But instead of you, I've found your brother at my side. What an unpleasant twist of fate. I'm turning out to be, a really pathetic guy after all."

~**~

"and you smiled like you knew what happiness was…" she sang softly, biting her lip so that she wouldn't cry. "and I'm still the queen of nothing…still…nothing…Rie. I'm…" She sunk down the floor, resting her head on her knees. Maybe she really was turning into Taro. It wasn't like her to cry, but she missed her 'baby brother'. He was the only one who ever mattered, or ever treated her like he wanted her around. In the end, he'd even gone into music for her sake, because he knew she'd never do it if she didn't have him by her side. And even then, she wouldn't sing, because Taro didn't play guitar as well, and his voice was nice, but not as good as hers. As a result, it was just as Taro always said. She'd settled for a mediocre life for his benefit. Black Friday was a somewhat popular band at that time, but they weren't anything special, not really.

"Rie…" all she could do was say her name. If she said it sometimes, then she wouldn't forget, that deep down, she was Rie, Taro's sister. She wasn't him. He was dead, and she still had this strong will to live. 'Why? By all rights, when you lose everything, you should want to die, so…why…do I still want to live? I don't understand.'

There was a gentle rapping on her door, almost as if in answer. "Ran. Dinner will be ready soon."

Aya. Aya was really going out of his way to help him out. He figured it was normal, but, the others said the red-head was normally a pretty cold fish.

"Thanks. I'll be right down, alright?" he said, and even with his "boy voice", it sounded unsteady. Damn. Stupid tears.

Aya started slightly. That voice, was he really? 'Are you alright?' he wondered. His body made his decision before his mind opened the question and he eased open the door a bit. "Ran?" he asked softly.

He had gotten up and was sitting on the edge of the bed when Aya entered. He instinctively threw the pillow at the red-head, who looked surprised, but caught it.

"What the hell're you doing!!? Get out of here!!" he demanded, trying to hide his face and wipe his eyes. In the end, the gesture was something like turning to the wall and burying his head against his knees.

Aya, strangely, was not dissuaded. He placed the pillow on the bed and sad down beside the new recruit. "But, you're crying."

"That's why I want you to go away, idiot!" He gasped. Before he knew it, Aya's arms were wrapped around his waist, and he could feel the heat of his body pressed against his back, his forehead resting against the nape of his neck.

Aya didn't know what he was doing either. It wasn't like him to try and comfort someone, but he just couldn't stand that this guy was crying, for some reason. Even though his cheerful disposition and lightheartedness, and even his face, annoyed Aya, tears were something that he couldn't help but hate on Ran.

"Shhhhh," Aya soothed. Ignoring the way his skin burned at the points of contact with the blonde man. It was irrational and not the point right now anyway. "I understand. My sister was in a coma for two years. After that long…I thought she'd never wake up. I missed her so much."

"Did she…wake up?" Ran asked slowly.

Aya nodded. Ran could feel his breath against the back of his neck. So warm. So soft. "Yeah, a few months ago."

"Well that's the difference between us, isn't it, Aya? Your sister woke up, and mine never will. Never…" he didn't mean to start crying again, but the tears began falling before he could stop them.

"You were really close, weren't you? You and your sister."

"Of course we were close, dummy, we were twins."

"That's not what I meant."

"…I know. In truth, we were children that no one wanted, but we had each other, at least, and that was something. That was enough of a reason to go on. I don't know why I still want to live now, but…" he sighed. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. I'm fine. Let go, huh? This feels stupid."

"I…met her once, you know, you're sister," Aya said, letting go as requested and standing. "I really liked her. She was…the person most like myself."

Ran's eyes widened. Aya…remembered. Oh. Well, shit.

"Get cleaned up and come down for dinner, alright? If you stay so skinny like that, your bones will break too easily."

There, now Aya was leaving finally. But there was one more question that demanded to spill out before the conversation was over. "Aya. Your sister. What's her name?"

Aya wasn't facing him when he said, "It's…Aya."

Ran's eyes widened slightly. He was starting to understand a little. "Then, what's your name? Your real name."

Now, Aya turned, he smiled softly, nostalgically, and said, "it's Ran."

Aya could see the stunned expression in the young man's eyes. Those eyes. "I'll see you at dinner," he said and closed the door between him, heaving a deep sigh.

'This is very bad,' he thought. 'I went out of my way to comfort him there. And…I held him. I liked it too, holding him like that. It felt natural and he always smells really good. Shit. Not gonna think about it.'

Yohji flicked his cigarette over the banister and frowned at Calico's door. He took to thinking of her as "Calico" all of the time, because he didn't have a woman's name to put to her. 

He hadn't been spying, not really, but he saw the expression on Aya's face when he left that room, and it wasn't good. "She's got him so edgy and confused," he sighed balefully. "Knowing Aya, he probably thinks he's turning gay suddenly. Even so…there's definitely something more going on here."

~**~

"Toshi-kun!" Aya-chan waved happily from the doorway before entering. "Are you here all by yourself today? Leaving the new guy all alone, that's not very nice. You seem to be learning quickly."

"Aa. I'm trying. Aya went out to do deliveries. I just hope he's back by the time school lets out. I don't like dealing with all those girls." Ran made a face at the thought. "I really should have just told them I have a girlfriend, or something. They're always asking me to go out and do stuff with them. Maybe I should pretend to be gay," he mused, seeming to seriously consider it.

Aya-chan slapped his arm. "Don't be silly! If you're ever in a pickle like that, you can just pretend that I'm your girlfriend."

"Huh?"

"Well, we're friends right?"

"Yeah…"

"And I'm a girl, so it's technically not lying!" she teased. "Anyway, it's just pretend, so if those girls give you too hard a time, you can just say you're going out with me."

"Haha. I see. Alright then. Even so, it might be fun to pretend I like boys," Ran joked. "If for no other reason than to see the look on Ken's face. Haha. I can see it now. Totally dumbfounded."

"You're terrible!"

"Yeah, but that's why I'm so fun, right?" he winked playfully.

"So Ran is doing deliveries? That's unusual."

"Aa. I was going to do them, but he said something about it not being fair to me that I have to do them all the time, and besides, I have to learn more about flowers, and I won't learn by wandering around town. So I'm trying to do arrangements like Omi taught me to, but I don't think they're very nice-looking. Well, I'll just have to work harder then!" he said.

"That's the spirit!" Sakura said as she entered. "Look who I found wandering around outside!" she said, dragging Aya in behind her.

"I was _not_ wandering around," he protested. 

"Oh! Back already? That was quick."

"All the deliveries were in the same area."

"Aa. Well good, you can help me then!" Ran said. He held the arrangement he was working on up and brought it over, depositing in Aya's hands. "Fix this please!" he said cheerfully. "And tell me what I'm doing wrong."

Aya looked down at the arrangement and sighed. How did you say "everything" without sounding mean. Well, at least the flowers were right. He'd learned to tell which one was which, that was _something._

__

~**~

"It's late. Don't you have the early shift with Ken tomorrow?" Aya asked when he found Ran leaning on the balcony that passed by their doors.

"Aa. Yeah, I guess so, but it's such a nice night. Perfect weather for thinking."

"You're thinking about Kodomo again, aren't you?"

"Oh, always a little bit, I guess. I was just wondering…why did you give me your name, back then. Ran is your name, so… I'll admit, you really confuse me sometimes."

Aya shrugged blandly. "I tried going back to it after my sister woke up, but everyone had been calling me Aya for so long that they just couldn't get used to it. I just told them to give up. It was annoying. If I'm not going to use it, someone might as well. Besides, you looked so confused. I figured we'd be there all afternoon if I left you to your own devices."

"Oh. Hey! That was mean!" Ran protested. It had taken him a moment to register the insult.

Aya couldn't help a small smile, which left the blonde boy looking a little stunned. 

"What?" Aya asked defensively.

"You should do that more. Smile, I mean."

"I could say the same to you," Aya said, leaning against the railing. It was so hard, to look at this guy and not think of his sister. In his mind, they'd half-melded into one entity, though he knew they were very separate from one another.

"Aa. You could. But you won't, right? Because in truth, I smile a lot more than you do."

"If you call those smiles," Aya retorted.

Ran looked up at him, rather stunned. He knew. Was it really, so obvious?

"Relax, Ran. You've been thorough a lot. No one's judging you."

Ran turned away, looked down at his fists, clenched together on the banister. "I'm just trying to be…myself," he said softly, and Aya's chest clenched. "Is that so wrong?"

Aya turned to face him, and the blonde looked up at him. He didn't mean to be crying, but the tears fell whether he cried or not. Silent tears. Aya's heart felt like it would burst. The impulse to lean down and kiss them away was almost too much to bear. 

"It's not wrong," he whispered finally, turning away to return to his room. "Get some sleep Ran."


	4. Chapter Four: First Kiss

****

Calico

By: Banshee Puppet

Part Four: First Kiss

**********

It has been three months since Ran came to Weiss and the Koneko, and if nothing else, things are never boring anymore. But even so, his existence troubles me. I find myself drawn to him and sometimes I have to leave the shop for hours at a time to escape it. I can't go into the bathroom right after he takes a shower, because it feels like his scent is everywhere, smothering me. I wonder if this is because of her, or if it has nothing to do with her at all. And lately, there are times when I have to fight very hard with myself, because I find that I want to kiss him. I remind myself that he's a man, just like me, but that doesn't dissuade the dry taste in the back of my throat or the images floating through my mind.

If I trace it back to the first impulse, then it was that day I found him crying over his sister and held him. That sort of thing has happened twice since then, and as much as I hate to see him cry, and he hates that I see him cry, a part of me looks forward to these times when we are like this, because I like to hold him, even if he never lets me hold him very closely, and also…mostly…because these are the only times when I learn about him. We of Weiss keep our pasts and our secrets close to us, but we no longer have any secrets from one another. Only Ran is a secret. And my obsession with him, also, is a secret--a troubling secret that I cannot escape. A few times, he's gone on dates with some of the girls that hang around the shop, though he never sees the same one twice. I wonder if he's a playboy like Yohji, but it doesn't seem that way. When he comes back, he's laughing about something that happened at the diner or the arcade. Sometimes he acts like a little kid, and when Ken asked him why he dates so much, he says, "it's a nice distraction. That's all." But then, at night, he remembers his other life, and he cries. Not every night, but often enough that I've noticed a pattern; so sometimes, like tonight, I'll slip into his room and comfort him, or try to. He sleeps in his clothes. I've noticed that too, since I have to wake him up sometimes. He doesn't mind the mornings, but he can't wake to an alarm. Still, if go in and open the blinds, he groans and says, "mmkay, I'm awake. Be down soon." I find it a little endearing. I thought I would hate having him around, but I enjoy his company as much as the others, and even if he's a little crazy and overly-dramatic at times, he's good at his work for Weiss, though he still has a lot to learn about flowers.

His tears have stopped finally, and he sighs. He is situated between my legs, leaning back against my chest while I hold him around the shoulders. He seems very tired today. Always, when we are like this, he mentions being unwanted by anyone. This hurts a bit, because I want, I want…

I don't know what I want really, but it's hard to be near him. His tears have started again, but they are silent now. This is the worst part, when he's between crying and not crying. I don't like seeing the tears he cries in silence at all. I hate them even more than the soft sobs he muffles against my sleeve. But because the tears are silent, I know that soon, he will speak.

"I'm sorry. I'm always leaning on you like this," he says softly.

"It's alright. I don't mind," I tell him. It's the truth. I hope he knows that. The air feels a little stiff. There's something more I should say, but I don't know what it is. And he still smells so nice, but I resist the urge to bury my face against his shoulder. "After my parents died, and Aya fell into a coma, I didn't have a shoulder to cry on, so you can use me for as long as you need."

"Why are you like this with me?" he asked rather suddenly. "When other people are around, you're Aya the ice king, but when I'm sad like this, you feel so warm."

"I just…don't want you to think you're unwanted anymore," I said, and winced. "Oh. That sounded wrong…" But there wasn't any way to correct it. I didn't know what other words to use to explain the way I felt. "It's just that hearing that sort of thing, it isn't really…"

He leaned his head back against my shoulder. Not wearing his glasses, with his eyes closed. I found that it was hard to breathe, at that moment. If he was a girl. If only he was a girl, then I could say, that maybe, this is love.

"It's okay. Sometimes the right words don't exist to explain things properly. But it's true, either way. My sister and I were unwanted children. I don't mean to say that we weren't loved. We might have been. All the people at the orphanage were very nice to us, and the foster family that ended up taking us in…they were nice too, but since they knew the truth, they were always very careful around us. We were young, back then, but we still knew what rape was."

I stiffened. I couldn't have heard that right. "My mother was a very pretty woman," he continued slowly. "But she was also very delicate, and her father was over-protective. There was a man she loved, but she couldn't marry him, and he ended up going off with the Marines, or something like that. But there were many men who loved her, or her appearance, at least, and one day she was raped by one of these men. In shock, she fell into a catatonic state, similar to a coma, for many months. By the time they realized that she was pregnant, it was too late to abort. So my sister and I were born.

"Mother awoke and decided to raise us herself. I don't know what possessed her to, or why, but it didn't last long. She couldn't look at us without seeing the man who raped her, so she brought us out to the lake to go swimming one week in the summer. We went out on a boat, and she tipped it over, knowing that we couldn't swim, but I…my sister learned under pressure, or something, I guess, and got me to shore. We'd swallowed a lot of water though. A fisherman found us. They didn't find mother's body for another week. Around that time, my Grandfather received a letter from her in the mail. It was a suicide note. "In my dreams, I keep killing that man," it said. "I have realized, that there is only one way to end this dream." It was very disjointed. The police took it for a suicide letter, but I know better than that, because, that day, she told us, "I only have to kill him two more times, and then I'll be free." She told us, "I'm sending you to where your father is." I didn't understand it then, but many years later, I found out that the man who raped our mother had been murdered. They never found any proof, but I'm certain it was my Grandfather who did it. _That_ is why I say we were children who no one wanted. We were. Even so, I'm not angry. That's not why I told you, just now. It's just… …you wanted to know, right? About…my sister, who you say you liked." 

That was just…way too sad. I didn't realize that I'd squeezed him tighter, as if protecting him. I didn't realize that I'd begun to cry, that the tears were falling onto his shoulder. My heart hurt so much, so much for him, and for her as well. No wonder. Just, no wonder. 

God, why does the world have to be like this?

He shifted, gasped. "A-Aya?" he asked. "Ah, shit. I made you cry. I'm sorry…"

I don't know what came over me, at that time. It just hurt so much, and he was looking up at me, and those eyes, they were concerned and so beautiful. I kissed him. Just briefly, a small kiss, but on the lips. It felt really good, sort of…special. I didn't know what I was doing.

"I like you too," I'd said, and then I'd kissed him. Maybe I'm still in shock.

He pushed me away. "Wh-what the hell do you think you're doing?!" he protested. It was only then that what I'd just done hit my brain. "Oh. Oh God. Ran, I-I'm sorry. I'm really sorry!"

I think I was still crying when I ran out of his room and into my own. I think I was still crying when I slammed the door. What the hell have I done?

Slowly, bit by bit, that song is starting to make more sense to me. "The Queen of Nothing, huh?" That day was the day I realized, this song was about him. She and I…we really were just the same, after all. "I'm so sorry, because I don't…I don't even know who I thought I was kissing back there."

~**~

"This is just…way too much. I know it was my decision, my own fault, my own choice to…become my brother but…this is just way too much. Aya. No. Ran. I'm standing right in front of you, Ran, the same as I was, that day. If you really liked me as much as you always say you do, you'd notice, right?" Rie wondered as she looked in the mirror, ran her fingers through her short, messy hair. "If what you say is even half-true, you would notice, wouldn't you? That I'm not a boy." She sighed and flopped back on the bed. And her fingers absently came up to her lips. They were still warm. She'd pushed him away because she was still Taro, she was still that person, and he would never allow that sort of thing, not Taro. She was starting to understand her dead brother more and more, having to live in his skin every day. "You would know, wouldn't you? That I'm not a boy?" She sat up and stared into the mirror across the room. "Who am I kidding?" she grumbled. "I look in the mirror, and all I see, is him. … …Oh Rie, you stupid, stubborn girl. What have you done this time?"

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and put her shoes on. "Che. Like I'm the type of person to sit around and think all day. Sorry Taro, that's one thing I can't follow your lead on. I've only been trying for five minutes and I'm bored already. I need to get out of here for a little while." 

She bumped into Yohji when she opened her door. "Oh! Sorry!" she grinned up at him, or tried to, but he was glowering at her. Before it was just sort of staring and frowning, now, he was glowering. "Uhm. Did you want something?" she asked.

"How long are you planning on keeping up this game of yours, Rie."

Her eyes widened. He knew! Shit! He knew! 

Her hand came up and slapped him hard across the jaw before she knew what she was doing. He spit out a bit of blood. She'd hit him hard. She hadn't meant to. 

"_Never_ say that name in front of me again," she demanded before storming off. She hadn't been thinking, but Yohji had noticed. She was still speaking in that voice, "Ran's voice."

He watched her run off. "How long are you going to let this continue, kiddo?" Yohji sighed. "You'll destroy each other at this rate." 

He heard a door open behind him and turned to find Aya standing there. Had he heard? Yohji was about to panic. That wasn't how Aya should find out about this at all. Not when his heart was already so invested, without permission, in this entire affair.

"Aya! Don't sneak up on people like that!" he covered fluidly, suddenly really wanting a cigarette.

"Oh. Did he go somewhere?" Aya asked, looking at the open door to Ran's room.

"I think he went for a walk," Yohji tried not to choke on the words, since he was technically the one who chased her away.

"Oh…"

"Not to pry, or anything, Aya, but…are you okay?"

"…no. I'm not. Not even remotely."

"Aya…" Yohji was sympathetic, really. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but he could see that Aya's eyes were still a bit puffy. He'd been crying, crying over, this girl? Damnit. It was already to late to hope to salvage this mess without some sort of explosion, wasn't it?

"I kissed Ran," Aya blurted out. 

"Shit." The word slipped out of Yohji's mouth before he knew how to respond. Just…shit.


	5. Chapter Five: A rose by any other name

****

Calico

By: Banshee Puppet

Part Five: A Rose by any Other Name

**********

I could still feel his lips on me. His smell was all over me. I always felt so warm in his arms. Ever since Taro died, that man is the only person who can bring me any peace. 

I met Ran when I was trying to defeat my Uncle, after he hurt those poor children and killed my brother. I didn't think I'd ever run into him again. In truth, I intended to be arrested and spend the rest of my days in peace, in jail. But then Manx and Birman came and asked me to join Weiss. To save people by killing evils, and also, they told me, if I wanted to find the people my uncle worked for, to stop them from doing this sort of thing again, then Weiss was definitely the place I wanted to be, because they, also, were looking for Kodomo.

__

"You know all about Kodomo, don't you? You have information on them, that's why they were looking for you. They want their disk back, right?" Birman had asked me. 

Well, that's true, but they'd never get it. I told her this. I told her, _"I hid it. It's hidden, deep inside of my body. They didn't know which of us had it, me, or Taro. That's why…that's…"_

++That's why I cry myself to sleep

I've no more promises to keep

I've only a few true scars

And these memories of you.

No longer bound by a common cause

Vagrant and trailing through

The stars in your eyes

A thousand fragments of my heart

I've protected them with lies

But no one's there,

And I'm still scared

But I'm not angry anymore

If I'm drinking deep, and losing sleep,

If I've found a place to weep

And drown

Then my death will be my own

And now I'm wanted

Now I'm haunted

Now I'm all alone again

I've found you in my eyes,

And covered them with lies.

That's why I cry myself to sleep

I've no more promises to keep

…only a few true scars

And my blue memories…

My broken blue memories…

"Oh Taro, what the hell am I supposed to do now, brother? You're probably laughing at me. And poor Ran…he probably thinks he's falling in love with you…and maybe he is." 

Rie sighed. It was true, her brother was dead, but she had been acting well, pretending to be him. A little time alone late at night in a quiet park was just what she needed to clear her head. _'He says he likes me all the time, even though he thinks I'm dead, but he doesn't know me at all. And then he says he likes Taro…' _her hand came up to her lips. She'd been so surprised, but she knew, Taro would never let a guy kiss him so, if she didn't want to let the secret out, she had to behave in that way. _'But that isn't me either. The smiles, the gentleness…it's all an act, a show. I thought, if I pretended long enough, his personality would become my personality, but it's not working. At the end of the day, I'm still tired, and I'm still me. The only time I can be myself anymore, is as Calico. Is that what it means to be part of Weiss? How sad. It's totally cruel to have to live like this. But, in the end, it's my own fault. And Yohji knows. I have no idea how he figured it out. No one else seems to notice. Things will get complicated soon. And what I am supposed to say? Maybe I should just disappear. But…would that be…allowed? God, I'm so confused. Someone please…help me. Help me clear my head…_

"You'll ruin my reputation if you keep going like this," a voice came from behind her. She knew it as well as she knew her own. And she turned, and gasped. "Taro!!!??"

~**~

Yohji handed Aya a cup of coffee. The poor guy was really shaken. He sat down across from him. It was late, and Omi and Ken were out on a mission. It was a small job, there had been no reason for all of them to go. "Why don't you tell me about it? It's obvious you need to talk to someone, Aya. You can't keep going on like this."

"I…I kissed…" Aya was still trying to wrap his mind around exactly how it happened. Finally, he sighed. "I think I've wanted to kiss him for a while now, Yohji. I just couldn't hold the impulse back any longer. I guess I shouldn't have expected him to react any better, but, even so, I can't help myself when it comes to that guy. But even with that. I can't help but wonder who I thought I was kissing." He stopped. He couldn't bring himself to say more.

"You mean, are you mistaking him for his sister, or are you in love with Takane Taro? You're trying to figure out if you're gay or not, right?" Yohji smirked.

Aya scowled at him. "It's not funny, Yohji."

"No, you're right. It's not funny at all, what…Ran…is doing to you. But you've got to pull yourself together. Think carefully. I'm sure you'll figure it out. Just don't let him keep pulling you around by the balls like this. It's bad for you. It's bad for Ran. And it's bad for Weiss."

"Why don't you like him?" Aya asked rather suddenly. "I see the way you look at him. You'd have to be blind not to notice."

"It's not that," Yohji sighed. "Things just…can't go on like this. It doesn't matter if you have secrets, you know, but if things go on this way, someone is going to get hurt, Aya. That's all. I don't like the game _Ran_ is playing."

~**~

"B-ut…you…how…I saw you get shot in the head!" Rie sputtered. What the hell?! 

"It just grazed me. I passed out from shock, but I'm fine, really!" 

It was a poor excuse. But for her brother to be alive again, a good excuse wasn't necessary. 

He smiled at her, touched her cheek, took off her glasses. "You cut off all your hair too," he pouted. "And after I went to such pains to grow mine to the same length as your so we could still screw with the family."

"I thought you were dead. I really thought…"

"It's fine now."

Schuldich smirked to himself. This was almost too easy. Her mind was an open book, and all that you could see was Taro Takane. 

"Come with me. I want to show you something," he egged her forward. The information this girl had was priceless. He wasn't even trying to find it right now, right now, this game was going well.

But she reached up, touched his chin…

"What happened to your scar?" she asked, tracing a line where a scar should be on the reflection of her face. Damn, he didn't know about that.

"Scars fade," he said off-handedly. "Don't worry about it. Let's go. I want to show you…" He had her by the wrist. He thought she'd just blindly follow, but he started when her heels dug into the ground.

"I should go tell the others I'll be away for a bit, so they don't worry…" she trailed off.

Schuldich now saw something else in the back of her mind. It started as a tiny pinprick, a slowly growing red light. And before long…

__

'Abyssinian.'

~**~

"He's been gone for a long time," Aya stated, looking out the front door of the closed Koneko. He was worried. Yohji sighed mentally. 'It's already to late to do anything to help you, isn't it Aya?' he thought.

"I'll go look for him, alright?"

"No, I'll…"

Yohji put his hand on the other man's shoulder and shook his head. "Don't," he said evenly. "Right now, work out your feelings. I know this isn't giving you much time, but when Ran comes back, you two are going to have to sit down and talk about this, get things straight, so you need to deal with your own heart right now, Aya. And I don't suppose you can do that while worrying. I'll find him and bring him back, so don't stress out, just think of what you're going to say to him when you see him again."

"…You're right. Sorry."

Yohji chuckled.

"What!?" Aya demanded defensively.

"It's just…not like you to apologize."

"Sorry. I mean…"

Yohji laughed. "I'll be back soon with your boyfriend," he teased.

Aya blushed. "He is not…!"

"But do you want him to be?" Yohji nudged, but left before getting an answer. He knew the answer wasn't that simple. Hell, life wasn't that simple. And he couldn't be the one to make everything start to make sense again for Aya. That's just the way it was.

~**~

The park. It wasn't that he knew where to look for her, precisely. It was more like, he'd seen what direction she'd headed in and took a guess. She wasn't likely to risk visiting the cemetery, visiting her own grave. That was too obvious, and besides, it would have been terribly cliché.

"Unh."

He expected to find Calico. He hadn't expected to see Schuldich as well. His eyes widened. He was suddenly glad that he carried his wire with him at all times. She looked a bit out of it. 

Schuldich: he used to just grab onto the mind, find a weakness, and control the person like you control a viscious dog with a muzzle and a good leash. This was something different. Something far more subtle. He didn't know what, exactly but…she was seeing things that weren't there, or…something. All Kudou Yohji could think at that moment was 'shit, this isn't good.'

~**~

Aya leaned against the railing outside his room. It was a cool night, but his mind was very foggy. He tried to think back. The first thing that always came to mind was shoulder-length black hair and spider-web eyes, a peaceful little smile that accepted everything for what it was, and then the determination in her eyes. _'I won't ever allow it!' _

But he was surprised at what memory came to him next. 

__

"Don't ask stupid things now!…If you want to die that badly, Abyssinian, next time, make sure you're somewhere that I can't reach you. Now hold on tight. We're going down."

It was the first time he'd met Calico. The determined expression and strong jaw, the steady grip, the bloody hand that carried him down the elevator shaft to safety. He'd felt so impotent then, surrounded by this guy's scent and his strong will. Nobody ever yelled at him like Calico did. That guy, he didn't pussyfoot around him like other people tended to. There was no shy moment of gauging cause and effect, no time thinking about reactions. He just acted and reacted and didn't think much about it. Aya wished he could have such an honest disposition. Because if he was thinking honestly, he could almost feel that warm body pressed up against him, still had the memory of Ran's smell, and the soft lips that had only barely touched his own before the man had pushed away. And Ran, in some ways, he still looked like a little boy, though it was different from Omi's youth. The blonde man would always have that baby face, he knew.

He also knew that he got a little over-protective when Ran went out on dates, and had taken the role of "unofficial teacher" on all things in the Koneko and on missions. Granted, Calico didn't need much help where missions were concerned. His tactics were somewhat unrefined, but the job always got done. He was just too damn willful was all. Now that he thought of it, the dates, the over-protectiveness, even the first day in the Koneko when he'd gotten swarmed by all the girls. It wasn't over-protectiveness really. It was jealousy. But every time he thought about Ran, and image of a girl with the same face flooded his senses. 

"Damnit. That face. If you had a different face then I wouldn't be so confused!" he grumbled. "It's totally impossible to think of one without the other coming to mind."

~**~

"SCHULDICH!" Yohji snapped and attacked before he could think much about it. He just had to get Ran out of there! "What sort of game are you playing at now?" he demanded. But he had to stop, the angle was wrong, Schuldich moved and Ran was in the way. 

The girl gasped. "Yohji?" she asked, confused, looking back at the other, she still saw Taro, but he seemed taller, too tall, really. And she remembered the sound of the gunshot and…come to think of it…

"…the scar…" she mumbled. "For it to fade in such a short time…"

"Come on sis! Stop dwelling on such inconsequential things! Let's just go home," Schuldich said, and Yohji's eyes widened. He was…

Ran blinked. Then blinked again. A calm seemed to come over her, as she said very evenly, "You're not Taro."

"Don't be ridiculous. Who else would I be?" Schuldich tried to save the illusion.

"I know you're not Taro…because…because…_I am_."

The illusion was shattered as red hair filled her vision. Long, red hair. "Who are you?" she demanded.

Yohji had been startled. _'…because I am.'_

"The enemy," Yohji said from behind her. "A member of Schwarz." He made to attack, but Schuldich evaded. "Not that I'd mind playing with you Balinese, but…another time, perhaps." 

He escaped. "Damn," Yohji cursed.

"How…?" Yohji wanted to ask how she'd managed to break the control he had over her.

"When I saw you, I remembered watching the bullet pierce the skull. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't even get in the way and take it for him. He was just, dead. But that can't be right, because Rie has to die first. Taro would never die and leave her all alone. That's the promise we made. Besides, the name on the headstone is Takane Rie, and those things don't lie, right? Are you going to tell Aya?"

"Tell him what?" Yohji asked. "That you're the strongest guy without an adam's apple I know? I don't think there's much point to that right now. Worry more about yourself right now."

"Huh?"

"Haven't you even noticed that you're injured yet?" Yohji sighed. He was finally starting to understand her a little bit. This girl…could she ever return Aya's strong feelings for her? As it was, she was broken. Her heart, her soul, whatever you felt like calling the part of a person that could express joy, and pain.

She looked down at the wound in her stomach. "Oh. Only a little. It's okay."

"You're a liar," Yohji scolded as he watched her wobble her way to her feet.

"Uh-huh. Always have been. Taro always said so. Don't worry. I'll patch myself up later."

"You just say that because you don't want the others to know," Yohji frowned. 

"Touche." 

Yohji sighed. "Alright, sit down here and let me take a look you stubborn fool," he complained, sitting her down on the edge of the park's fountain.

"From you, I'll take that as a compliment," Ran commented snidely.

Yohji chuckled slightly. "Yeah, well, if you think that was a good one. You'll like this one even more," Yohji said, trying to divert her attention. It wasn't too bad of a wound, but it was still going to hurt when he cleaned it. The water in the fountain would have to do…

"Oh? Do tell."

"You're the first girl I've ever met that I've never thought about sleeping with."

"Hah! Ow! Not even once?" she tried not to laugh. Shit, that kind of stung.

"Not even remotely," Yohji returned with a little smirk. "You're too much of a brute. I think you're more of a bear than a cat."

"Well that was just mean." Granted, she would have laughed, if it didn't sting so much. Instead, she just pouted at him.

Yohji shook his head. "When you finally get around to telling Aya the truth, he's going to have his hands full, I think."

"What's that supposed to mean?!? Ow."

"I think it's obvious," Yohji commented blandly. "Anyway, you two really need to talk. I don't care what you decide to tell him, as long as you get things straightened out. The truth _would_ be nice, but it might just cause him more trouble right now. Let's go home…Taro."

"…call me…Ran."

"Hn. Can you walk on your own?"

"Yeah, just…slowly, okay? …What did you mean about the truth causing him more trouble?"

"Right now, he's trying to figure out what he's feeling for Ran. Finding out about Rie and Taro…that's sort of secondary, for the moment, even if he'll probably be angry later. So, I'll keep my mouth shut, as long as you promise you'll tell the others eventually."

"Eventually…" she trailed off. "I will, I'm just not ready yet. Is that okay?"

"Sure. I guess it'll do."

~**~

Aya bit his lip so hard that it started to bleed. There was Ran, standing there in the kitchen not looking at him, and there was blood on his shirt and it was torn. He had gone into the bathroom right away, and now Aya could see a bit of blood seeping through the bandages on his stomach. It was just barely visible through the tear in his shirt.

All he could think at that moment was, whoever did this, 'I'll kill him.'

Aya looked at Yohji, who had just handed Ran a glass of water and some asprin.

"Ah. Thanks, Yohji," Ran said politely.

'Crap. I'm even starting to get jealous of Yohji now?!!!? This is totally ridiculous!' Aya scolded himself mentally.

"Who?" he asked finally, arms crossed over his chest, and clenched tightly there. Yohji could see the strain in his shoulders. He was having trouble containing himself.

Ran just gave him a confused look. "Who?" he asked. 

'Is she really that oblivious?' Yohji wondered. He decided to save Aya the pain of elaborating and said, "Schuldich. He seems to be able to control what a person sees now, but I don't know what he wants with Ran."

"I…may have an idea," Ran said a little sheepishly.

"You know why…?" Yohji all but yelled. He hadn't meant to….

"Aa…well, if they're connected to Kodomo, then…it's something…the something that…uh…" he fidgeted slightly, averted his gaze. "It's…what sis died protecting. … …data. I don't really understand it, but…it seems pretty important, if people are willing to kill and die over it. Anyway, it can't be helped right now. And they won't find it, so don't worry."

"We'll talk about that when everyone's together, alright? We should probably give Manx a call, but in the meanwhile, I'll leave the two of you to work out your other stuff. Goodnight!" Yohji said cheerfully, waving as he ascended the stairs.

"He's not very subtle, is he?" Ran sighed.

"You say _don't worry_ but you're still hurt. It's not fair to expect me not to worry about you, Ran, when you obviously have so little concern for yourself."

"I…" he didn't know what to say. "I've always been like that. You shouldn't let it bother you. I get by alright." That wasn't what he'd meant, but…it was, under the circumstances, the kindest thing he could bring himself to say.

Aya strode over to where Ran stood at the counter and pressed his hand with gentle force on the wound. Ran flinched. "_This_ is okay? Don't start lying to me now, Ran."

'But, I've been lying to you all along,' she thought. 'Since the beginning. It may be that you'll never forgive me, Fujimiya Ran.'

Aya sighed after an elongated pause, resting his hand on the counter beside Ran's hip. "You're not going to say anything, are you?"

"What do you expect me to say? It's no good, Aya. Nothing is any good, you know. I know you want to talk, if you can just figure out what you intend to say, and Yohji says we have to talk, and I understand that. I get it. If things keep going this way, we'll only get awkward with one another, and that will cause trouble with work. But what the hell do you expect me to say? You're the one who's confused, right? _You're_ the one who kissed _me_. Listen, forget it. We can just pretend it never happened. I don't care."

"You don't even…care at all? That's…that's totally the worst possible thing you could say!" Aya hollered. "Because I care so much I think I might die from the pain of it. And I don't even know…

"The reason I kissed you, it…Fuck."

Ran's eyes widened. Aya _never_ cursed. And he looked so lost, so totally helpless. It hurt to see a person as strong as Aya behaving like this. And he was so close.

"Damnit Taro! Why does it have to be you? If you just…." Aya pushed the glasses up to the top of his head. He wanted to protest, but he couldn't bring himself to cause the red-head any further trouble. He touched Ran's face, ran calloused fingertips over the soft skin, couldn't tear his gaze away from those haunted eyes. "If only, you didn't have this face, then maybe I could get a grip on whatever this feeling is. But this face is…exactly the same…as the person most like myself. I'm totally lost. I don't even know if I was kissing you…or kissing your sister. I…damnit! I feel like I'm going insane. If you just…had some other face…"

Ran shoved Aya forcibly away. "And how the hell do you think I feel!?!" he demanded angrily. He knew Aya was hurting because of his own decisions, but that didn't take away the sting of his words. "How the hell do you think I feel having some guy infatuated so much with some memory or some dream that he can't even see through it to see me! How the hell do you think I feel, having to look into the mirror every morning and see my twin's face! I can't even see myself at all! All I see is…" The tears were streaming down his face now, and he knew, under that halo of hair that hid his face, Aya, also, was crying. He could see the way the man's shoulders quivered slightly. "All I see is…my sister's face. It hurts like hell. So much pain. I want to gouge out my eyes sometimes just so that I don't have to look at this face anymore. God! Stupid, stupid guy. What do you expect me to do? This is the only face I have, and I have enough trouble with it without listening to the same problems from you. Living like this, is just…far too painful." He sighed, calming down a bit. "Maybe it's time to end it."

"What are you saying?" Aya panicked. That sounded too much like a wistful thought of suicide to him and he thought he was going to vomit, knowing he'd caused Ran pain.

"I'm saying, maybe it's time to call it quits, Aya. I should leave Weiss. Go somewhere quiet where I can disappear, and stop this futile revolution the two of us seem to be trapped in. So…I guess that's it. I guess we're done talking now." 

He looked so sad as he pushed off the counter and headed towards the stairs with the intent of going to bed. He was surprised when he found strong arms wrapped around him again.

"Don't," Aya said. "Just…don't. Because if you quit now, it would be too much like giving up. Besides, isn't now the time when you need help the most? You don't really think Schuldich will just back off after one attempt, do you? That's not how Schwarz works."

"That's…my problem."

"I won't let you leave," Aya said, and Ran had never heard him sound so determined, so strong, so…well, to be quite frank..stubborn. "I want to stay by your side, and if you're in trouble…I want to help you get out of it. It's not like that thing people say, about wanting to protect the people you love, or anything; don't get the wrong idea. I've seen you work and I know you're quite capable of protecting yourself…even if you are extremely reckless…"

"Hey…"

"I just want to stay near you, that's all. Even if you'll never accept me because I'm a man, just now, when you said you were going to leave, that I'd never get to see you around again, never get to fix your bad arrangements again, I thought, 'I don't want that.' And if that means I'm gay, or something, then I don't care."

"Because you're a man? Don't say stupid things. You're just Aya," Ran sighed. "If I cared about anything beyond that, don't you think I would have done a lot worse than just push you away."

Aya's eyes widened. He suddenly understood what his problem had been. He kept thinking about Taro and his sister. He kept thinking about the twins, but, the person in his arms now was just… "And you're just Ran, only Ran. I'm sorry that I forgot."

Ran stiffened when he felt Aya's face nuzzle against the back of his neck. "Stay."

"Aya…" Ran trailed off, not knowing what he intended to say. He'd had a sentence, but it left his brain when he tried to turn around. The red-head stopped him. 

"If you turn around now, I'm going to kiss you," he had said. "I won't be able to stop myself."

Ran stopped trying. "Aya…I'm tired. I want to go to bed now. Let go?"

"Stay," Aya repeated, and the realization hit the blonde suddenly. It wasn't 'stay here in the kitchen.' It wasn't 'we aren't done talking yet.' It was 'don't leave Weiss. Don't leave the Koneko. Don't leave me.' What he was asking of Ran was very simple. He was asking him to stay.

"You'll wake me up in the morning, right? The way you always do? I don't want to miss breakfast," Ran said.

Finally, Aya let go. "I'll wake you," Aya returned.

"Well, goodnight then, Aya," Ran said, reminding himself not to turn around before he headed upstairs to his room and his bed and the warm covers that awaited him.

Aya wiped his eyes on his sleeve. This guy was making him fall apart at the seams. He wasn't acting like himself at all, but he'd give up every ounce of pride and dignity he had if it meant that Ran would stay. It seemed so obvious what the answer to the question that had been plaguing him all evening was now. He sat down at the kitchen table, and smiled only slightly, shaking his head and pushing his hair from his eyes. "I've been such an idiot," he told himself softly. 'I never knew Taro or his sister, not really. I only met her once, and I didn't even know her name. I still don't know it. So, obviously, the person I was kissing, was Ran,' he thought. 'Then the person, also, that I'm falling in love with, is Ran, and no one else. Ran is just Ran. It's such a simple thing, I can't believe I didn't realize sooner. It's just…a rose by any other name…'


	6. Chapter Six: Jealousy and Hope

****

Calico

By: Banshee Puppet

Part Six: Jealousy and Hope

**********

"Agh! Aya-kun and Ran-chan are working together today!" one of the fangirls wailed. "It's going to rain! I just know it! This is terrible!"

"It's true that things have been a bit tense between Aya and Ran lately, but don't you think they're going a little overboard?" Omi asked Yohji from the back room where the two were taking off their aprons, their shift over for the day.

Yohji just sighed. "So complicated. My head hurts again," he complained and went upstairs, not saying another word on the matter.

~**~

"That's terrible," Aya said dryly. In truth, he was just trying to treat Ran normally, since the blonde seemed to protest when Aya showed him any affection anymore. _'I just want things to be like they always were!'_ he had snapped, but this wasn't working very well.

"Well if it's so bad then show me how to do it correctly!" Ran stomped. "What's with you. You're always putting down my efforts now and never show me how to do things properly! I….ooo…you drive me nuts!"

Aya sighed. He was getting yelled at…again. Geez, sometimes Ran was like a moody female. If he was a girl, Aya would blame this on p.m.s., but as it stood…

"Come here."

"No."

"Excuse me?" Aya arched an eyebrow. 

"I won't. Because I don't like you very much right now Aya. You're being a putz."

"Will you just come over here and I'll show you…"

"No. I don't want to learn from you anymore," Ran huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and mumbling something about "stupid red-headed monkeys" under his breath.

"Ran-chan….Aya-kuuun….don't fiight!" one of the girls protested.

"Tell _him_ that," Ran grumbled. "I'm being perfectly sensible."

"You are not!"

"Am too!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

"Not!"

"Am!"

"Hmph."

"Grr."

"Alright, I've had enough! Everybody out! Ran and I are closing for lunch now!" Aya demanded.

"Lunch?! We just started!" Ran protested. 

"Out out out OUT!!!" Aya demanded.

The girls were scared of the red-head, so of course they scurried out the door. "A-ano, Ran-chan…are we still going to the amusement park this evening?"

"Of course!" Ran grinned cheerfully. "I'll call you when I get off work!"

Aya slammed the door in the girl's face.

Ran leaned against the wall with a heavy sigh, pushing his glasses up his nose. "You can be a real bastard when you want to be, you know," he commented dryly.

Aya stomped over and glared at him, fists clenched at sides. He planted his right palm hard against the wall beside Ran's head, causing the smaller boy to jump slightly, and before he knew what was happening, Aya's lips were pressed against his in a bruising kiss. He just knew all the girls outside the shop must be staring slack-jawed. The Koneko didn't have blinds, and making the girls leave just meant they'd hang around outside, chattering together until the door was unlocked again. Even so, he unconsciously tilted his chin up into the other man's lips, a little awkwardly returned the kiss, only slightly, before Aya pulled back and snapped at him, "it's because I'm jealous, you idiot! I don't like you looking at all those girls, dating all those girls. I want your eyes to see no one but me. I want your lips to kiss no one but me. You really are…a complete idiot sometimes, Ran."

"Uh…that may be true, Aya. If you don't tell me things straight, I'll miss them, but you know," Ran said reasonably. "I wasn't aware that we were dating. I mean, you've never asked me out or anything like the girls always do…" he trailed off.

Aya's eyes widened slightly. That was actually true. He'd been so busy obsessing over Ran and wanting to be near him, that it had slipped his mind that he'd never even asked the other boy to go anywhere with him, just the two of them. "Oh. You're right," he realized aloud.

Ran couldn't help the slight snicker that escaped. "Cancel your date tonight. You and I will go out."

"Hey now I didn't say I was going to say yes just because you asked!" Ran protested.

Aya moved onto other tactics then. He looked at Ren with a little pout and "puppy eyes", though Aya's version looked more like "bedroom eyes", leaned in, planting tiny kisses on Ran's jaw and said, "please? You'll have fun, I promise. We can go wherever you want," he offered, assuming since they were both guys, somewhere quiet and out of the way might be in order.

"Can we go to the amusement park?" Ran asked in a small voice. He really wanted to go. Those places were so fun…

"Mmhmn," Aya answered, still kissing his jaw. "Is that a yes?"

"No missions tonight? Or Manx n' Birman?" the blonde asked in a whisper. He really wished Aya would stop doing that. It felt too good. It was making his head a little foggy and he couldn't afford to lose his cool, because if Aya found out that the person he was so obsessed with was a total lie, it was game over.

Aya shook his head against Ran's neck, tickling his throat, the blonde pushed the strands away. "Stop that."

"Say yes."

"Alright alright. Fix my arrangement. It's due to get picked up before yours has to go out. I'll go open the door. They're all staring as it is," Ran sighed.

"Fine," Aya answered, but a slight blush stained his cheeks at mention of the girls. He'd forgotten they were in plain view for their little, argument. Still, it had been worth it. Because tonight, he had a date. He can't remember the last time he'd gone one one…well, willingly. He'd have to make sure to wear something special, not just his usual orange sweater. Ran hated that thing anyway. _'It's orange, Aya. You're a red-head, what are you doing wearing an orange sweater?" "It's comfortable." "It's orange."_ Yeah, no orange sweater tonight.

"A--uhm…Maki-chan, I'm really sorry, I'm gonna have to cancel our date tonight. Aya is being very pushy and…uh…" Ran scratched the back of his head.

"I heard that," Aya grumbled at him.

"Well you _are_!" Ran protested, sticking his tongue out at the taller boy.

Aya just snorted. "Anyway, I, uhm, can't go…"

"You really like Aya, don't you Ran-kun?" the brunette he was 'letting down gently' asked in a not-so-subtle whisper with a knowing little smile. Well, it didn't matter, as long as Aya couldn't hear. 

"Ah…uhm…" Ran blushed slightly. "Yeah."

Maki giggled. "I could tell," she whispered conspiratorially. "Ran-kun would only kiss the person he likes best, right?"

"Ah..uh…Aa, yeah," he answered, scratching the back of his head and blushing furiously.

"Ran!" Aya snapped. "Do you want to learn how to do this or not? Come over here," Aya snapped. 

"Oh, uhm, yes!" he answered, bowing to the brunette who now no longer had a date this evening. "I'm really sorry!" he offered before hurrying over to Aya.

The girl watched them for a few moments, considering. Aya's words were as harsh as ever, but occasionally he would sigh, and he stood close beside Ran, closer than he ever stood beside the other employees of the Koneko. And he'd "accidentally" brush up against the other boy sometimes. In truth, Ran seemed a little skiddish, but Aya was very obviously 'staking his claim' on the boy, as if telling the girls in his not-so-subtle, grumpy way, "hands off." 

She leaned over to her friend and giggled slightly, "It's like something right out of one of those shonen ai manga, isn't it?"

"I dunno, they're both boys, isn't it a little…" the girl made a gesture with her hand.

Maki stuck her tongue out at her. "Whatever, I think they're very cute!" she said playfully. "Hey! I want to go shopping. Come with me?"

"Aa okay."

~**~

Okay, this was unusual, granted. But…Aya was nervous. Really really nervous. After some hesitation, he picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Is Aya there?"

"Aya? No she went to work, uhm…this is unusual, you calling…"

"…oh."

"You seem down," Sakura said.

"Uhm." He really debated what he was about to ask the girl who had once proclaimed her love to him. "I'm in a bit of a bind," he admitted, looking at the clothes that were scattered around his room. He'd settled on a pair of black jeans, but he was still topless and they were supposed to leave in ten minutes.

"A bind?" Sakura prodded.

"I can't believe I'm about to ask you this but…what would be considered appropriate to wear for a first date at an amusement park?"

Sakura was unable to bite back the small laugh that escaped. "Sorry sorry Aya! I just really didn't expect to ever hear those words out of your mouth! Well, what's she like? That might help me help you out."

"… …it's Ran."

Sakura's eyes widened. She hadn't realized. "Ah! In that case, whatever you do don't wear the orange sweater!" 

"I already know that! You aren't helping!" he complained. He didn't mean to get testy, but…well, he was nervous. By all right, he knew he shouldn't be. They worked together, lived together, hell, they killed together. But date could be a really scary word sometimes, and he wanted to impress Ran enough that he'd be willing to just see him and no one else.

"Aa, alright. Well, what did you have in mind?"

"A shirt, and jeans. I never realized that all of my shirts look the same before now…"

She could hear him frowing on his end of the line. "Alright, give me descriptions then…"

~**~

"A date with Aya? Gah! What was I thinking!" Ran protested, flopping back onto the bed.

"Sweatshirt, sweatshirt, sweater, jersey, don't you have anything nice at all?" Yohji asked.

"I have to wear loose things," Ran offered weakly. "I have khakis though…."

"That's it, grab your khakis and come with me."

"Hey, where are we going? I don't have a lot of time, Yohji!"

"My room. You're borrowing something."

"Are you kidding! I am NOT wearing one of your crop tops!"

"I have other stuff too idiot! I used to be a P.I."

"Oh, right, I forgot."

~**~

Aya finally walked out of the door wearing the first thing he'd actually put on, but had taken off thinking it too simple. A nicely fitted black v-neck t-shirt, jeans, and boots. He actually put his watch on for once too, "accessorize" Sakura had said, and this was as close as Aya got to it. He was about to knock on Ran's door, when Yohji's opened and he deposited the boy in front of the red-head. He was dressed simply in khakis and sneakers with a navy blue button down that cuffed just below the elbows. It was a bit too big for his narrow shoulders, but it still looked good on him.

"Ah…sorry. Yohji made me borrow one of his shirts…" Ran trailed off, scratching the back of his head.

"Go have fun now! Yohji said, waving the pair off. They both seemed a little awkward and nervous.

"Do you think they'll manage to get a full sentence of conversation in tonight?" Ken asked with a chuckle as he watched them get into Aya's car.

"Not likely," Yohji said, "but at least he's trying."

"I still can't believe Aya's gay though. I guess it explains a lot, but it's still a surprise. Not that it matters. I'm not a homophobe or anything. It's just, ya know, ya figure you know a guy pretty well and then he surprises you."

"I don't really think he is," Yohji said thoughtlessly.

"Uh…"

"That is, I think it's just Ran that he likes," Yohji covered quickly.

"Oh. Good point."

~**~

"Oo! I want to go on the bullet next!" Ran said cheerfully. 

Aya followed the line where the boy was pointing at the ride. It was a small capsule that seated as many as four people, and it swung up and back up and back until eventually, you were basically completely upside down, and it was moving very quickly. Aya recognize it as the "salt and pepper shakers", a ride with many names. He really hated that ride as a kid. Went on it once, and never again.

"…you like it that much?" he asked, trying not to sound as skeptical as he felt.

"Mmhmn," Ran nodded cheerfully, eyes narrowing with his grin.

Who could deny that face, really? "Alright. But only once. Not like the roller coaster that you had to go on three times."

"Party pooper."

"Or the bumper cars, which you insisted we ride twice."

"You know you like that one. Smushed into an itty bitty car next to yours truly…" he teased.

Aya blushed slightly.

"Okay okay, you can pick the next ride," Ran finally agreed. 

Aya's stomach lurched. "I think I'm going to vomit," he admitted grumpily as he sat down on the nearest bench.

"I didn't know you were gonna get sick! You should have told me," Ran complained, sitting down next to him, Indian style on the same bench.

"But you really like that ride. You said…"

"Dummy, I don't like it enough to ruin our date."

"I'll be fine."

"I'll get you some soda," Ran decided, hopping up. 

Aya looked at him skeptically.

"It's carbonated. It'll help settle your stomach," Ran assured him. 

… …

"Feeling better?"

"Much, thanks," Aya said, dropping the soda in the garbage can.

"So, you decide on a ride, or you want to play games for a bit first?"

"Games, I guess. I don't want to get on any rides just yet."

"Okay! Then let's go." 

Ran started walking towards the games when Aya's hand shot out towards his wrist and stopped him.

"Huh?" Ran asked, looking confused. But his eyes lit up in surprise and understanding when Aya laced their fingers together. 

"Is it too awkward for you?" the red-head asked softly. 

Ran shook his head. "It's only natural. We're on a date, right? But you can't pretend I'm your brother anymore if we hold hands like this."

Aya actually looked a little ashamed at that. "I just, didn't want to trouble you."

"You trouble me all the time, why is now any different?" Ran said, then seeing the little discouraged frown that crossed Aya's face unconsciously, he said, "joking, Aya, geez. Come on. Do you want to try the shooting game? Or that frog thing? Or…"

"How about that one?" Aya pointed. Darts.

"Hah! Okay, but don't be too disappointed when I beat you!" Ran laughed.

"As if," Aya scoffed. Only Omi had ever beat him at this game, and Omi wasn't here.

… …

"Sooo…do you want the pink bunny or the purple bear?" Ran teased. 

Aya just scowled at him. He'd lost…again. This was the third game, and as it was, Aya was already tugging around a large plushie dog and a goldfish. Seeing as Aya wasn't about to deign that with an answer, Ran decided for him. "Alright, bunny it is!" he told the guy running the game. "It'll be easier to carry."

Aya yelped in surprise when Ran decided to loop the bunny into his belt so that he didn't have to carry it.

"There," Ran announced. "Now I can keep this." The blonde took hold of Aya's hand, this time of his own volition. "Next?" he asked. "More games?" he asked.

"No more games," Aya grumbled. "I don't feel like losing to you anymore."

Ran chuckled. "If I was a girl you're pride would be hurt now, huh?" he teased.

"Good thing you're not a girl then," Aya retorted.

Ran bit his lip when Aya looked off to the left. "How about the ferris wheel?" Aya offered. That seemed nice and tame. Not a lot of jostling around, and it was a ride, so it could count as his choice. And of course, Aya knew the sort of thing that went on on ferris wheels, though he was playing stupid for now.

"You just want to ride the ferris wheel because it's a well-known make out spot," Ran said with an 'I'm-onto-you' tone to his voice.

"So are you coming?" Aya asked blandly, not even trying to deny it.

"Uh…yeah, okay," Ran blushed slightly, pushing his glasses up his nose.

… … …

The guy running the ferris wheel agreed to babysit Aya's many acquisitions while they were on the ride. Can't very well fit two grown boys, two plushies and a goldfish on a ferris wheel without some careful planning.

"Hey," the guy said. "More power to ya, ya know. It takes guts, two guys going out in the open like this." It was odd to be encouraged by a complete stranger, and when they gave him a surprised look he blushed slightly. "Uh, anyway, have fun!" he said cheerily. When they got on the ride and it started to move, Ran looked at Aya and said, "in the closet, it's obvious, now that he said something."

"Ah. I don't care right now though," Aya commented and Ran realized, 'oh, he wasn't kidding about the making out….'

It was weird. They'd kissed maybe twice so far. They'd never…but Aya was definitely leaning in, his hand was tilting Ran's chin upward, and he could feel the red-head's breath brushing against his skin, and then the lips. It was the first unspontaneous kiss the two shared, and Ran was surprised by how warm it was, and how gentle. His heart was thudding in his ears.

'Mmm,' Aya thought. Yeah, not the most lucid thought in the world, but damn, this was nice, and before his mind knew what his body was doing, his tongue was begging entrance into Ran's mouth. It was gentle, even now. There was none of the warring tongues of his youth, before the accident and his sister, it was all give and take. It felt good. It felt so good that he decided not to murder the people two carts away when he heard. "Mama, look, two boys are kissing," and "Don't look honey." That distasteful tone in her voice. Under any other circumstances, he'd be angry, but as it was he just decided to make more of a show of trying to suck Ran's tongue right out of his mouth, sucking on his lips, kissing his jaw. Yeah, Aya hadn't really meant to go this far. He just figured the ferris wheel would be a nice place to enjoy the weather and scenery and steal a few kisses her and there, but that nasty woman had annoyed him, and Ran was really warm and wasn't really protesting and kissing was definitely a good thing. With each brush of their lips together, Aya was discovering that he liked it more and more.

People were starting to be let off. It seemed as if the ride's conductor decided that they would be last, and Aya heard someone complaining. "Disgusting," one guy said. "Can't even make it with my girl when two guys like that are in my line of vision. His fist clenched on his thigh. Even if it wasn't about him and Ran, he thinks he would be angry. Nobody had a right to judge anyone like that.

Ran pulled away. "Time to stop. Gotta get off soon," he said quietly, eyes averted slightly.

"You heard, didn't you?" Aya asked. "Ran, I…"

"It's nothing, Aya. Don't give it another thought. I may call you bossy and stuff, but I came here with you because I wanted to, so forget it. We already decided, didn't we? Aya is just Aya, right?" It was the blonde's way of saying, 'I like _you_. I'd like you the same whether you were a boy, or a girl, or whatever. It doesn't matter. You're the one I've decided to be here with.' And it filled Aya's chest with warmth and hope. 

"Yeah," he answered. "Exactly. Same to you."

~**~

"Good date?" Ken asked. He was up watching a soccer game when Ran entered. It was late, and Aya had given him one last kiss outside before heading upstairs with a promise of "see you in the morning."

"Yeah," Ran said, sounding more distracted than he meant to. He hadn't expected to run into Ken downstairs, he just wanted to grab his laundry out of the dryer.

But Ken caught the uneasiness in the young man's voice, for once, he looked up from his game, an odd occurrence for him, and asked, "were you hoping it wouldn't be?" It was a joke, really, the brunette didn't expect the answer he got.

"Yeah," Ran repeated, absently digging through his clean clothes. He'd have to change his shirt before bed. It was Yohji's after all, not that he could do that now, or here, in front of Ken.

He didn't realize that Ken had gotten up, put his hand on his shoulder. "Hey. Do you need to talk about it? Is it because, you know…" Ken hedged. It was hard for him to say, and it's not like it was his business.

"Because we're both guys? No, that has nothing to do with it. I just can't help but wonder, if he'll ever be able to forgive me."

Ken's eyes widened, 'for what?' he wanted to ask, or 'what does that mean?' But in the end, the words that came out of his mouth were, "I'm sure you're just worrying too much. Aya likes you better than anyone else, except for maybe his sister."

"Yeah," Ran sighed, pushing his glasses up his nose the way he always did and lifting his laundry basket. "That's sort of the problem. Goodnight."

It left Ken confused. Whatever it was, Ran didn't want to talk about it. Ken wondered vaguely if it had something to do with Schuldich, but he couldn't ask. The men of Weiss, they all had secrets. That's just the way it was.

~**~

Aya lie down in bed with a content sigh, his fingers coming up to brush his lips absentmindedly. Ran was…a really good kisser. Well, okay, maybe that was only part of what was on his mind, but he was too tired to think of much else. He'd gotten a small tank and some fish food and set up his new pet on top of his dresser, threw the bunny and three foot tall stuffed dog into the corner, and was now too exhausted to think, but he was sure he would have nice dreams, for once.


	7. Chapter Seven: the song that a caged bir...

****

Calico

By: Banshee Puppet

Part Seven: The Song that a Caged Bird Sings

**********

"Aya-kun and Ran-chan are working together!" one of the girls squealed. "Today will be good!" 

Aya-chan rolled her eyes at hearing that as she approached the shop with Sakura. The two girls were practically inseparable now that they were living together. 

"I can't believe I used to be like that, I'm so embarrassed," Sakura told her friend as they worked their way through the crowd. The boys' shift would be over soon, and they had all decided to go do something together. The girls decided on a picnic. After all, it was spring and the day was gorgeous. 

"I'm glad that whatever was bothering them is over now," Aya-chan said. "I didn't like seeing them fight. But I think you know what's going on and don't want to tell me!" she scolded.

"I think you should hear from your brother though!" Sakura defended.

It was at that moment that Aya-chan made it through the crowd and gasped slightly to see the state of the shop and its employees.

Yohji was yawning, going over orders and flirting with fan girls, the few who weren't obsessing over his co-workers. Aya, well, Aya was teaching Ran some of the finer points of floral arrangement, though it seemed to just be an excuse to be closer to the other boy. He stood behind him, left hand resting on his hip as he pointed at things with his right hand and whispered instructions in the boy's ear. Ran just did as he was told, paying the body pressed up against his back little mind, but not particularly seeming to mind the fact that it was there. He looked up over his shoulder and asked Aya a question about the hyacinths at a normal decibal, unlike Aya's odd whispering, and Aya took the opportunity to steal a small kiss. 

"Aya!" Ran protested, blushing furiously, and the look on his face seemed to say, 'you're totally shameless!'

Aya just looked at him vaguely, the tiniest hint of a smirk pulling at his lips, and answered his question as if nothing had just happened.

Aya-chan just gaped. So _that_ was it! Geez. She would have never thought. But her big brother looked so content. He never smiled anymore, but he almost had, just now, and Toshi-kun didn't seem to mind being kissed by a guy as much as being kissed in front of a bunch of fan girls. Hell, Aya-chan would have been embarrassed too. She didn't know what to do right away and the Koneko was exceptionally busy right now. Ken emerged from the back room, still tying his apron as he announced, "Three o'clock guys. Don't make your sister wait too long, Aya."

Aya looked up to find Aya-chan and Sakura standing not five feet away. His eyes widened slightly. That isn't how he intended to tell Aya that he'd fallen in love with Ran and that Ran seemed to be fine with that.

After an awkward moment, Aya-chan just made a v-sign with her fingers and grinned at him. "Are you two almost ready to go, big brother?" she asked. 

"Uh...yeah," he replied. Okay, now he was embarrassed. Kissing his boyfriend in front of customers was one thing, in front of his sister was totally different. Yeah, Aya figured he could call Ran his boyfriend, since he'd finally gotten the smaller boy to stop going out with the girls who hung around the shop. It turns out he never really kissed any of them anyway. He just went and did stuff with them. His "dates" were more like going out with friends, so they stopped calling them dates. He still went out to the arcade with a girl sometimes, because Aya didn't like video games (actually, he didn't like losing, and he was terrible at video games, so, heh, 'nuff said), but Aya took the place of the girls who would go to see movies with him, and they went out to the diner together sometimes. The more he got to know the boy, the more deeply he fell for him. He was a little goofy, but very cute. Ran had an annoying habit of making bubbles in his water by blowing into his straw, but it was strangely endearing. And he bit his nails when he was thinking, and he had an obsession with his hair almost as bad as Yohji's. Everyone knew it was dyed, but he still insisted on getting it re-done as soon as even the smallest amount of roots started to peek through.

"You should have called me and told me!" Aya-chan protested, frowning up at her brother as Ran took off his apron and grabbed their jackets.

"You're working every time I call," Aya stated blandly. 

"Oh, and when was the last time you called?" she demanded with a pout, trying to prove the point that he hasn't called in ages.

"Two weeks ago. Sakura had to help me pick out a shirt over the phone," he stated dryly as if saying, 'see! I call!'

"First date," Sakura smirked knowingly. "They went to the new amusement park together."

"Ooo! Did you go on the ferris wheel?" Aya-chan teased in that 'yes, I know what goes on on a ferris wheel' kind of way.

"Of course," Aya replied in that 'don't blame me if you get mental images, you're the one who asked,' sort of way. "But I wanted to kill those stupid people who kept saying bad things," he admitted, something he would never say to Ran. The other boy would just worry, most likely. Aya wasn't ashamed, not even the slightest bit, and he didn't want Ran to think otherwise.

"Oh…big brother…" Aya-chan trailed off. She'd taken to calling him big brother all the time, since she couldn't get used to calling him Aya, and calling him Ran was too confusing now that Ran was around.

"It's not disgusting," Aya stated as if it was the most obvious conclusion in the world, and there was a hint of stubbornness in his tone. "When you love someone, it's never disgusting, no matter who it is, right?"

It was only Aya-chan and Sakura who he would talk to so openly, and Sakura only because they had been through a lot together, and because she was always with his sister anyway. These were the people who were permitted to see his softer side.

"No, Aya, it's not disgusting at all," Sakura agreed softly.

Aya-chan looked a little stunned at first. He hoped she wasn't ashamed of him. She had just found out that her big brother had a boyfriend, after all.

"So, my big brother has finally fallen in love?" she finally asked. "I didn't think I'd ever see the day," she giggled slightly. It was just fine with her. Aya was relieved. He released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Yeah," he answered. "I love him. It's definitely love. I wasn't sure at first. I thought it was because he reminded me of someone and I was confused, but…Ran is the person I fell in love with. He's the one who makes my chest feel…_full_ when I think about him. The person that I thought he reminded me of…thinking about her just makes me sad. When I realized that, everything else became obvious."

~**~

__

'Thinking about her just makes me sad. When I realized that, everything else became obvious.'

She hadn't meant to overhear, she'd been coming downstairs with Aya's jacket as she slipped into her own, an army-style cargo jacket, at the top of the stairwell. For a moment, she forgot to breathe at those words. 'Oh Aya, damnit. You don't even realize, that the person you love, is a lie. I'd thought…I had hoped, that what you fell in love with was…I thought, just maybe, you'd fallen for _me_, like you could see through all of this somehow, and the person you wanted, was me…but…you love Ran.'

She leaned back against the wall and covered her face with her hand. "I'm such an idiot," she whispered to herself. "How pathetic."

"Ran?"

She jumped slightly. "Ah, Omi, 'sup?" she asked.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You look sorta…um…" Omi fiddled a bit. It wasn't any of his business, but, Ran was a partner, and a friend. "troubled?" he asked.

"Ah, not at all! I was just trying to remember if I forgot anything!" she covered quickly. "Well, mustn't keep them waiting! Who knows what horror stories Aya is telling his sister about me now. Haha. See ya later. And don't keep Yohji waiting too long, 'kay? I think he wants a smoke break. Or to go 'vomit at the cuteness' of it all. Aya was…cuddly again today. Bye bye!" With the quick excuse, Ran hurried down the stairs, taking three steps at a time and making enough noise so that his presence would not be a surprise.

"Sorry!" he announced. "Couldn't find my jacket."

"It was in the same place as always," Aya looked at him like he was daft.

"Haha, yeah, it was. And here I went to all the trouble of trying to change my system, only to find that you've been cleaning up after me again! Ready to go?"

"…and you sounded funny, before," Omi said aloud to the no longer present assassin. You're voice was different." He sighed. "Are you sick, or something, Ran?"

~**~

"Stop lookin' at me like that! I'm not gonna sprout another head you know!" Ran protested.

Aya had just gone off to get everyone ice cream, since Aya-chan said she wanted some, and then Ran said ice cream sounded good since it was nice out and…well, Sakura didn't disagree and…well, Aya must be in a good mood, because he was being downright agreeable, except for the attempts at force feeding the smaller boy. Ran just didn't eat much, that was all. It wasn't like he was starving himself or anything. Sheesh.

Aya-chan just grinned at him. "Big brother _really_ likes you!" she giggled.

"Well duh," Ran said, rolling his eyes. "He makes it obvious enough. Stupid guy, he can be a walking, talking migrain sometimes…"

"And other times?" Sakura interjected.

"Other times. Well, other times, he's really freakin' cute," he admitted, sounding a little distraught.

"You like him too then! Yay! I wasn't sure. I mean, you don't push him away much but…it looks like you just sort of tolerate his advances mostly," Aya-chan said in her usual, bold manner.

"Yeah…" he said, then stopped, unable to keep the frown from his face and voice, looked down at the water bottle in his hand. "I like him."

"Don't sound so happy about it," Sakura commented, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry, it's just…complicated."

~**~

Aya stopped dead when he heard that. _"Sorry, it's just…complicated."_ For a moment, he was brimming with happiness, almost ready to burst out into a random fit of uncharacteristic giggles, but Sakura was right. Ran really didn't sound to happy about liking him back at all. Complicated. He didn't want to spy, really, but…he couldn't help it.

"Explain complicated," Aya-chan ordered in that bubbly way she had.

"It's just…" Ran wondered briefly why it was so easy to talk to two girls he barely knew about his problems, when he couldn't talk to any of the people he spent all his time around. It would make the most sense to talk to Yohji. The green-eyed assassin knew exactly what the problem was, but Ran just…couldn't. "I'm not…and he's…" He sighed. "He says he loves me all the time, but he doesn't know me, not even a little bit. How can you love someone you don't know? I'm not who he thinks I am, that's all. He probably won't like me anymore when he figures it out."

~**~

Aya dwelled on what he overheard, but tried not to be conspicuous. It was obvious that something was bothering him though, and when the girls left, the boys were left to their own devices, alone in the park. They'd finished eating long ago, but didn't seem ready to leave yet. 

Aya leaned his back against a tree and pulled Ran up against him, as much as the other boy would allow. It was daring, what he asked next. But if he didn't ask…

This would be the question that would gauge the exact nature of their relationship, that would tell him just how far Ran was willing to commit to him.

"Ran?"

"Hmn?"

"Sing for me?" he asked hopefully.

"Sing?" Ran asked, tensing a bit under Aya's touch. "I've given that up, Aya. I don't sing anymore."

Aya's chest tightened, his heart clenched. That was the answer he had hoped he wouldn't get. He had wanted to hear his voice, because…because Aya had given everything to Ran. He wanted to be with him, always, to have no secrets blocking up the air between them. But how was that possible, when Ran couldn't even give him his voice?

"It's getting cold. Let's go back," Ran said, working his way out of Aya's arms.

Aya stood, but as Ran began to walk, the red-head did nothing, just stared at his retreating back.

"What's wrong?" the smaller man asked.

"I really love you, you know," he said. "All of you. That's why I asked. I thought you would understand that I want to know you better, but you won't let me."

'Want to know you better? What the hell?' Ran thought and his eyes widened, horrified, remembering his own words. _"He says he loves me all the time, but he doesn't know me, not even a little bit. How can you love someone you don't know? I'm not who he thinks I am, that's all. He probably won't like me anymore when he figures it out."_

"Bastard!" he snapped. "You were spying on me! How dare you!" He was angry. He was really pissed off. "You…you had no right! You don't know anything Aya!"

Before he knew what he was doing, Ran was running, it didn't matter to where, somewhere far away from the man who "loved him". Nothing else mattered right then. 'Idiot. Stupid stupid stupid. Stupid Aya. Stupid man!' he thought as he ran. His legs started to burn, and Aya didn't seem to have decided to chase after him. He stopped when he saw his reflection in a store window. It was an electronics shop, so his reflection was doubled by the black screen of the television beyond the window. "And I'm stupid too, to think that this was a good idea." She sighed. "Taro…I miss you. You promised me that you wouldn't die, you bastard."

It was then that surprise caught her. She hadn't thought that the young boy she saw reflected across the street was anything to worry about. How could she? She had no idea what Nagi looked like, or that he was a member of Schwarz. But she was smart enough to dive when the glass from the window shattered. So many shards of glass. She hadn't been able to protect herself from all of them, and when she looked up, the boy was looking down at her, hands in the pockets of his school uniform (which she realized, at this time of night, was a little odd), and spoke.

"Calico, I presume?" 

'Well, shit.' "Depends on who's asking," she said, shoving herself to her feet while chastising herself for being so off her game because of stupid Aya.

The boy cocked his head slightly, and nodded, like he was holding a conversation with someone without words. Well, he'd just shattered a store window by, oh, looking at it funny, she wouldn't put much past him at this point.

"If you'd come with me," he said. "There's no reason this has to get violent."

Ran reached for a dagger that wasn't there. 'Crap.' And speaking of daggers….yikes! Who was the yellow-eyed freak who came out of nowhere anyway!!!!

~**~

"Where is your better half today, Aya?" Manx asked as the red-head came downstairs, looking rather tired.

At the mention though, his posture stiffened noticeably, and he said softly, "Ran…didn't come home last night."

"Why weren't you with him???" Birman demanded.

"What the hell do you care?!" Aya bit back at her. 

"Lover's quarrel?" Yohji teased.

Aya glared at him darkly, causing the green-eyed man to raise his hands in surrender. He hadn't actually thought he'd been right. Ran didn't strike him as the type to blow a gasket for no apparent reason. 'Maybe it's PMS,' he thought.

"So what you're telling me is, you and Calico had a fight, so you left the _only person on the planet _who knows the location of some _extremely delicate data_ run loose around the city when Shwarz has _already_ attacked h-him once," Manx covered the near slip easily by clearing her throat.

Aya suddenly realized the folly of deciding to give his boyfriend some much-needed space instead of chasing after him. His expression dropped ever-so slightly and he turned to leave without saying a word.

"Where is he going now?" Manx grumbled. Honestly, Abyssinian was so…well, she wasn't sure there was one word that could cover it all.

"To look for Calico, obviously," Ken stated as if it were obvious.

"Yeah, relax Manx. Nobody wants that guy back here safe and sound more than Aya does. He's probably beating himself up about what an idiot he is right now, but it's usually when he's berating himself for some supreme idiocy that he does his best work," Omi said cheerfully. "Anyway, you'd better tell us what you've found out about this data, right? Has Ran told you where it is."

Birman sighed and shook her head. "He won't. He insists it's safe, but won't say word one about it's location. We can only guess. But that's not what concerns us, not really."

"Then what…?"

"Calico has a photogenic memory boys," Manx clarified. "If he read that data before hiding it, there's a possibility that they'll try pulling it out of his brain, and we all know that at least one member of Shwarz is capable of just that. Not to mention other possibilities. Of course, we don't know if she's been captured, but Calico is just not this irresponsible, to disappear for a full night without even calling."

Omi's eyes widened, remembering the day before when Calico sounded odd on top of the stairs.

"Repeat what you just said…"

"Calico has a photogenic memory," Manx said, not sure what Omi was getting out.

"No, I mean…you just called Ran a "she", Manx. I…uhm…that is…"

Yohji groaned. This was bound to happen eventually. Manx cursed under her breath. It started to come together in Omi's head slowly, and realization flashed across his eyes.

"What's going on guys?" Ken asked, as lost as ever.

"Calico isn't Taro Takane," Yohji said slowly. If the secret was out, it might as well be out all the way. "It's Rie Takane, his twin sister."

Ken choked. "Ah…uh…"

"Don't tell Aya," Yohji added sternly.

"Whaatt? Why the hell not?!?"

"After all those two have gotten through to get to where they are right now, don't you think _Ran_ should be the one to tell him? Give him a chance, would you?" 

"Anyway, we have more important things to deal with just now," Omi intervened.

~**~ 

"How long have you known?" Birman asked as Yohji was about to ascend the stairs behind his comrades.

"Hm?" he looked at her over the rim of his sunglasses.

"About Calico."

Yohji gave her an uncharacteristically serene smile. "Since the beginning," he answered. "But she's only known that I know since the run-in with Shuldich. Anyway, I figure it the same way Aya does. Rie or Taro…that doesn't matter. To us, it's just Ran. Besides," he grins impishly. "Those macho girls aren't my type! You, on the other hand…"

Birman threw one of the sofa pillows at him. "You're incoragable Balinese!"

"But cute, right?"

"You have work to do!" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and sticking her nose in the air. "Men. Honestly."

"Ooooh I see," Yohji teased. "Manx is more your type then. Well, win some lose some!" and he just barely dodged a flying tv remote on his way out.

Manx shook her head and chuckled at Birman's tantrum. Yohji's flirting had always made her uncomfortable, but trying to ignore it never really worked out, so now she threw fits, which only encouraged him to tease her more. 

"That guy'll never change. Anyway, we should get to work too. They'll have their hands full with Shwarz, we should get them as much information as we can."

"Right then. Where should we start?"

"I was thinking of looking into the Takane family line."

Birman's eyes widened. "You don't think…"

"Well, they _were_ adopted. All we have is a code name, but it _does _ seem that Calico is connected to the man in some way that goes beyond mere coincidence."

"Alright, well, I guess we've got our work cut out for us."

~**~

Seeing Taro had been bad enough, but she knew that her brother was dead, knew it by the pain in her heart and by everything that she had become because of that death. Seeing her mother had also been trying, but her mother, also was dead. It was when they tried to distract her by making her see people who were still alive that she ran into trouble. It was like they were poking around in her brain and trying to distract her with images of a life she couldn't have, of people saying things they would never say.

"Forget all of this, Ran. I just want you to come with me. Let's leave, together, just the two of us. I'm sorry I made you angry, but you're the one who's running away…"

It was Aya. Aya and Aya and Aya with a side of her foster father, and then more Aya. "You're getting predictable…Schuldich," Calico said, exhaustion thick on her voice.

It took a bit, but she found singing occupied all of her mind, and it seemed to block out his attempts to reach past her own voice in her brain. She only hoped her voice could hold out.

~**~

Schuldich slammed the door and grumbled something about "stupid, tubborn, flat-chested women".

"She's singing again," Crawford stated matter-of-factly.

"No shit," the red-head said, flopping onto the couch. "Why didn't you tell me that bastard was gonna be such a pain in the ass?"

"We have to get the satellite data whether she's a pain or not. If you can't yank the location of the disk out of her head, then we'll have to do it the old-fashioned way."

Farfarello licked the stiletto he'd been playing with.

"Do _not_ kill her, Farfarello. Am I understood?"

Farfarello just gave Crawford a "yeah, whatever," sort of look.

"What's the deal with this data again?" Schuldich asked absently. Torturing tomboys wasn't really his idea of a good time, mostly, and this one just annoyed him, but if Brad said it was important….

"Mostly it's just data that tracks storms across the planet's surface, but this guy, Kodomo, hid research into irregular brain functions in that data."

"Irregular brain patterns?" Nagi asked. Crawford really wasn't giving many details. They were just doing as they were told, really.

"Psychic abilities."

Now Shuldich's eyes widened. "Like us?"

Crawford nodded. "Kodomo wants to make everyone in the world like us. Obviously, we can't allow that to happen. Farfarello, let's go question the girl."

Schuldich looked at Nagi, and after a pause, Nagi nodded. "You're right. If we want to prevent this, killing her would be the most obvious choice. He's hiding something."

"So…let's find out what then."

"You can't be serious! You can't!"

"Relax kiddo. I'm not going to poke around in his head. I was just thinking that I want to go pick on Weiss some more."

Nagi's eyes widened in realization. "I'm coming with you."

~**~

Abyssinan's--no, Aya's--mind was an open book, and the only thing on it was Ran, and the fact that he'd 'kill anyone who lays a finger on my boyfriend'.

Honestly, if it wasn't so damn hilarious that the sword-toting assassin had a female boyfriend, the assassin's protective streak would be enough to make Schuldich sick.

"You really are totally clueless, aren't you?"

Aya glared. Yeah, well, he was good at glaring.

"Uh, Schuldich, it's obvious he wants to rip your throat out, maybe you shouldn't encourage him…" Nagi said nervously. This was a first for them. The, well, you know, talking to a member of Weiss and _not_ trying to kill them. He pushed down the little voice in his head that reminded him that Crawford probably knew they were here, and why, and…

"Bastard had it coming for keepin' secrets from us."

"Huh?" Nagi blinked and found Schuldich staring at him, frowning slightly. Then the red-head smirked and said. "Stop thinking so loud, can't you see I'm trying to be intimidating here?"

"You might do better with that if Abyssinian's hands weren't wrapped around your throat," Nagi sighed. This was going nowhere fast. "Abysinnian, before you kill Schuldich, can we possibly explain what we're doing here…all alone, without any weapons…"

"You count as a weapon, kid," Yohji said past the cigarette that was drooping from his lips. Nagi couldn't really argue that point.

"You want your _friend_ back, don't you?" Schuldich sneered. 

Aya was back to glaring. Well, it was better than strangling at least, wasn't it? And Nagi wasn't helping, and damn, Schuldich could take care of himself, but if he used his 'mind tricks' on Abysinnian now, then they definitely wouldn't trust them enough to share their information…

"What exactly is it that you two want?" Omi said finally. Ah, the voice of reason, too bad he was also the most naïve of the group.

"Information," Nagi said flatly. 

"Brad is keeping secrets. I don't like it," Schuldich said. "Can you let go of my throat now? If I'm lying you can kill me later, or try to…" 

That was logical, sort of. Aya let go.

Schuldich dusted his sleeves with the backs of his hands and then spoke. "I take it the name Kodomo means something to you? Well, I learned something interesting today. I'll tell you more, but in return, I want to know exactly what the information on this disk is all about. Because if it's what Brad says, then our problems would be solved by just killing the kitten, and yet…" he trailed off smirking. "Seems as though a lot of people want what Calico has, and we want to know why."

"Sucks for you, because all we know is that whatever it is, Calico isn't spilling to anyone, not even us," Ken bit out. "He won't tell us where it is, so just back off."

"I don't think you get it," Schuldich eyed him critically. "There are much nastier ways to pull information out of a person's head then what I can do you know. And from what I can tell, there's a lot up in that brain to pull, if the bastard would just stop singing."

Aya's eyes widened. "Don't lie. He doesn't sing anymore."

"Must've changed his mind," Schuldich said in an off-hand manner. "Well then, if you're not going to tell me what I want to know, then I guess I'll be going."

Aya's fists clenched tightly at his sides as Schuldich turned to leave. He grabbed the telepath's shoulder roughly. "It's a plague," he grit out. 

Schuldich's eyes widened, and so did the eyes of the rest of the Weiss members. Aya couldn't believe it took him something like this to remember. It had been an offhand comment. It had disturbed him at the time, but, then again, it was just the sort of thing that Ran would say to make a point, or to provoke a reaction. He remembered now, he didn't even try to shield the memory from Schuldich.

__

"…because, there isn't anyone in the whole world who's exactly like me, Aya. Don't pretend to understand. If you put everything all together, no two people are exactly alike. Not even twins. But there are people who are similar enough to get along without much trouble. That's what friendship is, I guess."

"What are you getting at this time? I just want to know what's so important about this data you're hiding."

Ran sighed. "If you could make everyone in the world just like you, would you do it, even if it meant a lot of people would be hurt, or maybe even killed? I thought about that a lot, and I've only been able to come up with one answer…" He paused. "A world where everyone's the same…even if I have to spend my life just like this, even with this pain in my heart, I won't allow it. It sounds really boring."

"You've started babbling again."

"Sorry. I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

"Anyway, what you're saying is impossible. Nobody would want something like that."

Ran just shrugged absently. "Hitler did."

Schuldich choked on the last turn of phrase that passed through his mind. What the hell was Brad thinking?!!!? "They're not trying to turn everyone in the world into a person…like us…" his eyes grazed over Nagi. "They're trying to kill all the people who aren't. I may be a self-serving asshole at times, if I'm to go by your opinion of me," he said, looking at Aya, who had let him go. "But even I have my limits. I won't help out with genocide."

"So tell us where Calico is then," Yohji demanded exhaustively.

"I'll take you there. But you should know, Kodomo…the person who goes by that name, is your friend's father."

Aya's fist clenched tightly. "Then that's all the more reason to kill him," Aya bit out. He remembered what Ran had told him about the way he was born. He was born, because his mother was raped. At the looks he was getting from his teammates he snarled out the words, "Don't look at me like that. Ran would definitely agree with me. Now that he's got something the guy wants, _now_ he matters? Ran isn't like us. From the day he was born, he was a child that nobody wanted, and I won't ever forgive anyone who hurts him."

His anger was flaring, his mind spinning. Schuldich couldn't block the swirling thoughts therein. Memories of rape, attempted murder, loneliness, despair, and underneath it all, the dull glimmer of love, the desire to bring enough happiness to destroy the pain. As Aya brushed past him with a gruff "let's go", Shuldich had to catch himself against the wall. He could control his abilities but…such strong emotion. It was too much.

"Schuldich?" Nagi asked, concerned. Schuldich shook his head to clear it of the ache and the resonance of Aya's emotions.

"So that's love, huh?" he grumbled. "Hurts like hell."


	8. Chapter Eight: Scars

****

Calico

By: Banshee Puppet

Part Eight: Scars

**********

She bit through her lip. She could taste the salty flavor of blood on her tongue. She ignored the bite of the knife as best she could.

"You'll have to do better than that," she spat in Farfarello's face. Ooo. She was amusing.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Crawford asked blandly. From her reactions, or lack thereof, he was starting to wonder if she wasn't like Farfarello, unable to really feel pain. He hadn't anticipated this.

"Of course it hurts, idiot. I'm being stabbed, aren't I? But I'm not some weakling who's going to let you push me around just because of something stupid like that."

Farfarello seemed to have become rather enamored with a scar on her thigh.

"I have a lot of scars, don't you think," she said blandly, smirking through the pain. Farfarello looked up at her and grinned. She turned her eyes to Crawford now and the smirk grew dark. "I'm sure if you cut enough of them open, you'll find it eventually."

His eyes widened marginally. 'Hidden…inside of her body! No…no way! This woman…what kind of a beast is she?' No, he hadn't anticipated this at all. "Which one?" he said calmly, but there was a tightness around his lips that gave him away.

"Start looking, four eyes. I think you'll be surprised at what you find."

Farfarello looked at Crawford expectantly. Brad gave him a curt nod and reminded him, "try not to kill her."

~**~

"Did you have a plan, Abysinnian?" Schuldich asked vaguely as he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up at the building.

Aya just gave him a look that said, 'get Ran back, of course.'

"Ah, thought so, just curious. So it's save the misfit Weiss and kill anything that gets in the way then. Weeelll…I'll leave you to it, in that case. See ya!" Schuldich gave the Weiss boys a two-fingered wave calling behind him. "Third floor. Smile pretty for the cameras."

~**~

"Just get Ran, Aya. We'll take care of Schwarz and whatever else comes our way," Ken said. 

Aya gave him a look that said, 'are you sure?'

Yohji smirked slightly. "Go rescue your boyfriend, you idiot."

Aya said the only thing he could, and something his teammates--no, his friends--had never heard out of his mouth in all the years they'd known him. "Thanks," he said awkwardly before bolting up the hallway.

~**~

Ran groaned, and sang. Every scar on his body had been sliced open and dug through, and he had a few new wounds that he was sure would scar as well. His clothes were all but shredded, and if that wasn't bad enough, someone was poking around in his brain again. 

__

'Sorry, but I'm not going to go head to head with Crawford AND Kodomo. Even so…I want to know more.' 

Schuldich was honestly apologetic, though he couldn't really fathom why. It had something to do with the strong emotions inside of Abyssinian regarding the young woman. To Aya, it didn't matter the least little bit if _Ran_ was male or female, he just wanted to be with that person, with those eyes, and that heart, to make that person happy. Granted, the Weiss leader was totally clueless, and getting everything wrong, but he wouldn't forgive anyone who hurt Ran. And the girl figured that the person he loved was a lie, that he didn't know her. She was the person who didn't know herself.

Even though the reasoning was different, even though he didn't want to find out to cause trouble (for once), his mind was shoved back and consumed once more by a lilting song, vague and starting off soft as she tried to grab onto what was left of her energy to give her voice it's usual resonance and strength. She was singing again:

__

++It's a cold, cold world, 

Outside of your arms.

And I'm living there,

Dreaming of you.

In this world with you in it,

I've been all alone,

Wrapped up in your arms,

Alone,

My tears for your eyes only

And my secrets, mine alone,

In your arms.

Safe in your loving arms…

And if you save me tonight,

I'll have no fear.

If you turn out the light

I'll be waiting here.

If you …

Only you.

No one else but you… 

And this is your song,

In your arms,

I miss your arms.

In this world with you in it, 

Where I've been all alone. 

There was a pause, and her mind commented. 'Heh, that's terrible.'

__

++In my house, we never talked

We learned to communicate the hard way

With fists and chairs

And flying silverware

And broken glass

And sorted pasts…

And in your arms, 

I forgot all of that.

And I lied

And I'm sorry for all the tears 

I've cried 

On your shoulder

So I won't ask you to save me to night

And I'll never call your name,

And…I'll never…be…the same…++

"Oh, Aya…please forgive me…but…I'm really…tired now. I think I've lost too much blood…"

And in the instant before she passed out, Schuldich saw it in her mind, her defenses down, 'th-the data! Is…it's in her memory!?!!' Granted, he only got a glimpse, and what he saw made no sense at all, but…

Well, sure, he didn't really care much, even if all the _normal_ people died, but if everyone could read minds, he wouldn't have much of an edge, and he was kind of starting to like that stubborn, annoying girl that Abysinnian called his boyfriend. Schuldich laughed out loud at that bit. Boyfriend. It really was quite funny.

He sought out the thoughts of the leader of Weiss. Ah, there he was. He didn't know why he was helping but…

__

'Trouble around the next corner, Abysinnian. Three of them. And a camera in the water sprinkler,' he informed him as if he was bored.

"What the???" Aya grumbled.

__

'Shut up. I've decided to help you out. I'm going to lead you to the cell. If your "boyfriend" isn't there, then you're on your own.'

'Fine.'

__

'Hey, Abysinnian?'

'What now?'

'Calico doesn't happen to have a photographic memory, by any chance?'

'…'

__

'Thought so. Turn right here.'

~**~

__

++You were holding out your hands

But I'm still sleeping

And I'm still dreaming

And I'm still building up the walls

And I'm still tearing down the walls

And I'm still hearing 

I'm still hearing

I'm still here…

And I'm burning up

And you're all I have

And all I need

And all I am is all I am is all I am

Is all there is of me

Can you hear me screaming

Out your name 

In my mind?

I'll be fine++

'That…voice…' It was that girl's voice. He was sure of it. He'd know it anywhere, but this wasn't her song, was she…still alive? Was Ran's sister still alive? _'Ah, he'll be thrilled! He thought she was dead, I have to find him but, I can't abandon her either.'_ He decided to follow the voice. Such a beautiful voice.

'Well, guess he doesn't need my help anymore. That's right, Takane Rie, keep singing. You'll be all out of secrets soon. Heh. Should be interesting to watch,' Schuldich thought.

~**~

__

++ …and now I…

Can finally,

Say goodbye

To who I thought I'd be

And all that used to be…

And you're, still standing in front of me…

She was leaning against the wall, and squinted at the bright light from the open doorway. At first, she flinched. She was way to tired to deal with Farfarello again already. Didn't he already cut open all her scars once? Granted, he hadn't found anything. Of course he hadn't, she'd burned that data disk up years ago.

Red. She blinked, and blinked again.

"Aya?" she asked like she was confused. "Or is it just that guy fuckin' with my head again?"

She shook her head, but it only made the room spin. "Ugh. I think I'm gonna puke."

It was…Ran. That girl's voice, coming out of a very very battered and broken Ran. And his eyes widened further when he saw her shredded shirt and the strap that bound her breasts beneath it. 'He's…ah…she's…uh…No time to think about that now!'

Now he noticed all the wounds, all the blood. She was trying to push herself to her feet when she noticed where he was looking and brought one arm up in an attempt to cover her chest, the evidence that she's totally deceived him. "A-aya…I…"

He took a few steps, devouring the space between him and carefully lifted her into his arms. "Idiot. Don't talk now. You're hurt." He sighed. "Honestly. What am I going to do with you?"

~**~

"Did you think I didn't know?" Crawford asked dryly. "You did exactly what I hoped you would. Now tell me what you've pulled out of that brain of hers. Where's the disk?"

Schuldich smirked. "There is no disk, Brad. You've been duped."

Brad's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't think I'll let you get away with betraying me."

"Hah. It's got nothing to do with that," Schuldich sounded amused. "The data is in that girl's brain. You'll never get your hands on it. Just give up. She's found the perfect way of protecting it, since she's incapable of forgetting it. She won't forget your face either, so I'd be careful if I were you. That girl isn't the type to just back off if you get her angry enough."

Crawford looked like he was about to say something when he got suddenly rather quiet. "Nevermind. We'll let them dig their own graves. You're lucky you didn't do much damgage, Schuldich. Think about that."


	9. Chapter Nine: Being Ran

****

Calico

By: Banshee Puppet

Part Nine: Being Ran

**********

"Ungh."

Aya's eyes darted up from where he'd spent the past two days seated beside the window of the hospital room. The nurses had tried to get him to leave, so had the doctors, but he was bound and determined to stay by Ran's side. He was also very, very confused. He could see the rise and fall of unbound breasts under the thin hospital gown. He knew it wasn't a dream. Ran…was a girl. Not only was Ran a girl, but he was _that_ girl. He didn't know how many weeks he'd obsessed over her, her spider-web eyes, so sad, the person most like himself. And then when he met "Ran" he honestly did forget about her; her sorrow evaporated from his eyes. He had mourned for Rie, but he had fallen in love with Ran. To find out now that they were one in the same, and that he--she--whatever, had spent months lying to him--well, he was angry. But angry could wait. Angry could wait until the person he--until this person lying in the bed woke up. And now he heard a shifting against the sheets, and a groan, and….

"A-Aya."

And the voice, was hers. Not the false voice that was Ran's, but her own, true voice. He tensed, stood, took the seat at her side as she slowly opened her eyes, blinking unfocused eyes up at the ceiling. "Aya…" she said again, and this time, it was Ran's voice, as she woke, it was Ran's voice that came from her lips without much thought. Well, sure, she'd been using it for a long time now. Of course it would seem normal. 

Aya clenched his fists in his lap. "I'm here," he said, surprised at his own voice in the silent hospital, late at night.

She stared up at him. It was obviously taking her some time to figure out where she was and what was going on. He wondered if she even remembered what had happened.

"You're in the hospital," he informed her blandly. "The doctors say you'll be fine. I had to tell them you were attacked by some crazed rapist, but I got to you before he could…do anything. They wouldn't believe anything else. Even muggers don't go _this_ far. I'm not sure they believe me though. The nurses all think I'm an abusive boyfriend, or something."

She chuckled. "How many of them did you threaten to kill?" Then his eyes widened as the memory seemed to hit him full force and he sat bolt upright looking at the rise of his…well, breasts, through the thin cotton. "Shit. Aya, I…"

"I'm still angry, so maybe now isn't the best time to talk about it. So…Kodomo…is your father."

Ran sighed and nodded.

"Biological?"

"…no. He died…a long time ago. It was, before I was born." Still Ran's voice.

"All that about your family, about…how and why you were born--was that all a lie too, Rie?" Aya bit out. It wasn't harsh, not really. He just sounded deeply hurt by the very thought of it.

Rie ran fingers through her short hair. "No. Aya, I know you have no reason to believe me but…I only lied about one thing. I only had one real secret. Granted, it was a doozy, but…"

"Damn right it was. I thought I was gay because of you."

She couldn't stifle a small chuckle. "Well, you didn't seem to mind much at the time."

Aya shrugged slightly. "Well, love is just…love, I guess. I couldn't help myself. I thought you had no sex drive, or something."

"This coming from the ice king?" she scoffed.

"Hey! I have a sex drive! I just don't advertise it! I wanted to do it with you, anyway."

They both blushed.

"I didn't plan for you to find out like this, you know. I wanted to tell you, but…well, I know how you are about trusting people. I just didn't think I could stand it if you never forgave me. Guess I've got no choice but to face it now."

"I'm not going to lie. You betrayed me, and I'm kind of pissed about it, but you've been asleep for two days, and I've had a lot of time to think. I won't stay mad at you forever, but I don't know where we go from here. I don't know who you are, or who you intend to be. I can't even figure out what I should call you anymore."

"I…don't know either, but I really liked it, you know, being Ran. I'm not sure if that's who I am or not, but it's who I'd like to be. I want to be Ran, if that's possible, because being Rie just hurts way too much. Without Taro's shadow, I'm not strong enough to be Rie anymore. It was…all that…you know, it just feels like a whole different life, is all. So do you mind? I mean, can I keep it, the name?"

Aya sighed softly. "It suits you well enough. So you're going to keep pretending to be a boy, then?"

"I guess so. I never made much sense as a girl anyway. I've always been a tomboy. I excel at sports. I like fighting. I _hate_ dresses and make-up…"

"Do you hate them more than my orange sweater?" he asked idly, they both needed to lighten the subject a little after all that they'd gone through.

"Oh no! No way! I don't hate _anything_ that much! Not even mushrooms--detestable little fungi."

Aya stifled a chuckle, but then it bubbled out anyway. "So I guess fried portabella sandwiches with tomato and cheese are out of the question then."

"Most definitely."

"And Chicken Marsala."

"Undoubtedly."

"And cream of mushroom soup."

"Would you quit it already. At this rate I'm not going to want to eat for at least a week."

"That's a shame, because now I'm hungry."

"Jerk."

Before she knew what was happening, Aya had her lips wrapped up in a warm, wet kiss. She tilted her chin to give him better access, and he took the opportunity to sweep his tongue inside of her mouth. He was such an intense kisser. Every time he kissed her, the whole world fell away. 

Parting from her, he took a few breaths, resting his forehead against hers. "Sorry, they just looked so tasty," he teased slightly.

Did this mean she was forgiven? She didn't know. "Aya…uhm…"

He pushed her gently back onto her back and kissed her forehead. "You should get some sleep. You haven't healed yet. Goodnight, Ran."

"Uh, but…that kiss just now…uhm…" She didn't know how to say it.

"Just because I'm a little annoyed with you right now doesn't mean I love you any less. If I did, then it wouldn't be love, right? Get some sleep. I won't stay mad forever."

"Yohji said you can hold a grudge for a really long time," Ran pouted, seeming unsure as to the truth in her boyfriend's statement.

"Well, that's true," Aya hedged a bit. "But none of the other people I've been angry at have been as cute as you."

Ran threw his pillow at the red-head. "Idiot," she scolded.

Aya tossed it back and closed the door between them. "Even if I am an idiot," he said to himself. "It's really…all your fault, Ran."


	10. Chapter Ten: The edge of the world

****

Calico

By: Banshee Puppet

Chapter Ten: The Edge of the World

**********

"Ran gets out of the hospital today, right?" Ken asked. 

Yohji nodded. "Aya is there with him, again. He's not due to check out until this evening, but tell that to his 'wife'." Yohji sounded bored, but in truth, it amused the hell out of him-- not to mention that Aya got really flustered and aggravated when Yohji called him Ran's "wife". He was the man, damnit!

"It's going to be weird. I haven't seen her--him---uhm…well, you know, I haven't seen Ran conscious since before I knew he was a she. I don't know how I'm supposed to act."

"Act the same way you would if Omi or Aya or I were coming back from the hospital after being tortured to within an inch of our lives. If Ran wants to pretend he's a boy, that's his business. He's just Ran, however you slice it. You can't help it if you feel weird, but something like that doesn't change what kind of person he is. Ran is just a reckless and immature guy who knows nothing about flowers but probably a hundred times more about music than we do. He's easily excitable and awkward with limited social skills and a bad sense of humor, not to mention almost as little fashion sense as Aya, and that's not going to change just because we happen to know that he pees sitting down."

Omi snickered. Leave it to Yohji to say things that way. Once in a while, the playboy really was very smart.

"If you've known so long…haha…Yohji-kun…hehe…I'm surprised you haven't hit on Ran yet…hahaha," he said, still stuck on the 'pees sitting down' comment.

"Pfft," Yohji said. "Ape-women who are stronger than me don't appeal to me at all. I like delicate flowers, not overgrown cacti, thank you very much. Besides, Aya would kill me."

"You've got that right," Aya's voice said from the doorway.

"Uh…hi guys," Ran said with a meek, bandaged wave. "Long time no see. Did I miss anything?"

Ken looked up to find Ran wearing Aya's orange sweater and a pair of baggy jeans. He pushed his glasses up his nose with one finger.

"Brazil won," he stated.

"Hah!" Ran announced triumphantly. "You owe me ten bucks!" He pointed at Ken, grinning. "Oh ow!" Ran winced, grabbing his side.

"Didn't the doctors tell you to take it easy?" Aya sighed from behind him.

"_Take it easy_ is much different than _pretend to be comatose_ Aya," the small blonde pouted.

"Why are you wearing 'the much loathed orange sweater'?" Omi asked. "Don't you hate it?"

"Well, technically, yeah…" he said slowly. "Orange looks stupid on red-heads, but it's still really comfy…and warm…and it makes me want a nap…or… that _could_ just be all the drugs running through my system right now, not really sure…"

"I'm going to bring him upstairs and force him to get some rest," Aya informed them. "I'll be down to take my shift in a little while."

"Hey, Aya?" Yohji called when the pair was just about to ascend the back stairs.

"What?"

"Wasn't he supposed to be in the hospital for another five hours or so?"

"They got sick of me!" Ran grinned proudly, turning to face the green-eyed man. "Ow."

"The doctor said, 'if she stays here much longer, she's going to instigate a riot. And the nurses are sick of finding new and interesting ways to keep her in her room.' And there was something about condom balloons," Aya stated matter-of-factly before swooping the girl up in his arms. 

"Hey! Put me down! AYA!" Ran protested.

"If I put you down you'll hurt yourself again."

"Bastard! I'm not an invalid! Cut it out! GRR! Put. Me. DOWN!" Ran demanded.

"Stop squirming," Aya said dryly as he continued to carry the blonde up the stairs.

The three boys in the shop looked at one another, smirks peeling slightly upward until they were all laughing hysterically. "Condom balloons?" Ken asked between giggles. "He wouldn't, would he?"

Omi blushed slightly, and Yohji smirked at the soccer player, eyes lit up with mirth. "Do you think they were for the kids in the Children's Ward?" the ex-P.I. asked bemusedly.

Ken shook his head. "You're right. Who am I kidding. This _is_ Ran, we're talking about. He _so_ would…hahaha! Those poor nurses. Haha."

~**~

"You didn't tell them why you're really wearing my sweater," Aya commented as he sat on the edge of Ran's bed after pulling the covers up over him.

"How do you add 'because my boobs aren't strapped down today' into casual conversation. No thanks. For now, I just wanted a simple 'welcome home'. We can worry about the other stuff later."

Aya leaned down and planted a firm, yet soft kiss on Ran's lips. "Welcome home," he whispered.

"Thanks. Now go to work. I promise I'll sleep like a good boy, or try to, at least."

Aya nodded. "And when you're at a hundred percent again, we'll get that bastard father of yours and end this mess once and for all. I promise."

Ran yawned. "Mmkay. Sounds good. G'night."

"Goodnight, kitten."

Ran stuck his tongue out at the closed door between them. "He's getting so mushy," he grumbled before closing his eyes to get some rest, as promised.

~**~

Ran sat in the couch, trying to ignore the fact that Aya was fussing over him and checking his bandages while they were being briefed. Finally, he'd had enough. "Will you _cut that out!_ They're _fine_! You checked them _an hour ago!_ I don't even know why you insist I keep wearing the damn things. They've already scabbed and the bandages are itchy," he complained.

Aya just frowned at him and went back to what he was doing.

Ran sighed. "Well, it's obvious what we have to do, anyway, right Birman? Distract Schwarz and kill Kodomo. Honestly, those guys, who knows what the hell they're thinking." He sounded more put out than anything else.

"You're in no shape for that," Omi told him, getting ready to get chewed out over that.

"Well no shit," he said instead. "But it's going to have to be good enough. You think they're going to wait around forever? We should attack tonight. That eye-patched freak seems to like me, so I should be able to serve as a decent distraction at least."

"You're not coming," Aya blanketed.

"LIKE HELL I'M NOT!" Ran protested. "It's MY problem, MY friggin' bastard of a FATHER. Don't you DARE try to tell me that I'm NOT GOING!"

"It's too dangerous."

"Stop treating me like a kid!"

"I'm not treating you like a kid, I'm treating you like a…"

They all knew the next word that Aya was about to say, and Ken and Omi couldn't help but wince, glad Aya stopped himself at the last moment.

"THAT'S EVEN WORSE!" Ran demanded, shoving him away angrily. "Ever since you found out it's like you don't have any faith in my abilities anymore. I'm not some weak little girl and I don't appreciate being treated like one, Aya. So just do me a favor and _fuck off. _I don't need your pity, or your protection. I'm going, and my reasons are my own. Have you got the blueprints for me Manx?"

Manx handed them over. "We think he'll be here," she said, pointing, as Calico leaned over the blueprints thoughtfully.

Behind his back, Yohji gave Aya a light slap upside the head. "Idiot," he whispered.

"If you're going to sit around and chat, then go upstairs and tend the shop. I don't need a couple of stupid little boys distracting me," Calico bit out as he shoved his glasses up his nose in aggravation.

"Aye aye sir!" Yohji replied, dragging a protesting Aya upstairs after him.

~**~

"You should know better than to say something like 'treating you like a girl' by now, Aya," Yohji laughed as he lifted the order list and scanned over it. "You know how irritated he gets."

"He _is_ a girl. What's so wrong about treating a girl like a girl?" Aya grumbled.

"Obviously she's pretending to be a boy for a reason. Sometimes, fate pulls a joke like that, making a person like that born as a female. Everyone else can see it, why can't you? You treat girls like they're helpless. Why would anyone want to be treated like that? Anyway, you know how he gets, so you shouldn't be so surprised. You two have been bickering a lot lately. What's the problem, not getting any?" he teased.

He didn't really expect Aya to start grumbling under his breath. "Shut the fuck up, Yohji," he bit out finally. "Just because you're a pervert, doesn't mean that I am."

Yohji nodded knowingly to himself. Obviously knowing that Ran was a girl was getting the better of the red-head's hormones."

"Aya, I've got it covered, alright. Go take a cold shower or something and try to calm down."

For once, Aya listened without complaint. He wasn't about to admit out loud that aside from always worrying about Ran, his hormones were DEFINITELY getting the better of him.

~**~

__

"Calico, Bombay here, corridor three is clear."

"Roger Wilko, Bombay. Then we're going up," Calico replied. In the end, Aya had agreed to let him take off his bandages (as if he really had much say, when he found them in the garbage can and the box of spares dropped out of the second story window to the sidewalk below, Ran already zipping up the jacket of his Weiss gear. "I told you I was going," the blonde stated frankly. 

They had divided into groups, with Omi shoved up alone in some tight space doing odd computery things again, Yohji and Ken going one way, and Aya with Calico going the other. Despite the fact that the red-head wouldn't leave the injured party's side, they really _did_ make a good team when they weren't bickering, and they knew how to separate work from home.

They figured Schwarz would be a problem, but they didn't interfere. When they came across Crawford outside of Kodomo's office, he said simply. "Go ahead and kill him. We'll be waiting here when you're finished."

Sure, they still had to deal with Schwarz. Lovely, but at least they knew they could get rid of Kodomo without them getting in the way. It was a relief…well, sort of. They didn't want the man to get away again, after all, but what Schwarz was up to…well, that was another question that left an uneasy feeling in its wake. 

Nobody was in the office.

It reminded Calico of the first time she'd met Aya and the others. The office…with the secret room.

They exchanged a silent look of caution before Calico said, "I think that we were just set up."

A fizzle of static and… "Abyssinain, Calico, get the hell out of there!" It was Bombay.

Too late. The room sort of…shifted around them. 

"This is a little game I like to call 'home movies'," the voice of a familiar German said. "Hope you don't mind, if I pick your brains for a bit."

'No way I'm letting you get in my head!' Calico thought, and just as she opened her mouth to start singing, the only way she knew of keeping her thought safe, she found a gag tied around her mouth and a stilletto trace over her spine, though it didn't break skin, for once. Farfarello. Crap crap crap. She turned her gaze quickly to Aya who was caught by surprise as well, and had Crawford to deal with.

"Ran!" he called, but he was already bound hand and foot and hit the ground with a resounding thud. His reaction time was slow. Come to think of it, so was hers. She could only assume it had something to do with Schuldich's mind games.

"Mmph," she tried to retaliate, but her strength was…well, unimpressive, and even less impressive than it ought to be, given her wounds. 

So she was a little surprised, when the room faded out, and the images surrounded her like a planetarium, that it wasn't her memories that were in front of her, but Aya's. She saw the earrings he bought his sister, and how he called them tacky. He saw the fire, and the car, and the way his parents were killed. He saw manhunts and slaughters and sacrifices; he saw Aya-chan on an altar, and Sakura, a temple of flame returning to the sea. He saw the death of Takatori and felt how hollow it left Aya, not with the relief he'd expected for avenging his family, just with an emptiness--so lonely--and a feeling that he only had one thing left to do. He felt Aya's heart deaden in his chest. He felt…despair. The real world was a mere speck of light in all of this. Calico had, forgotten it. He'd even forgotten himself. For all that he saw and felt through this warped mental plane Schuldich had created, the real world stopped existing.

Aya was no better. Smiling twins flooded his vision from every angle. Too young to know better, but his own mind registered the whispers in the background, the looks given by strangers. Disgust and disdain. A woman who never spoke cradled the children in her arms. She didn't look quite right. Something in the back of her eyes…something…

And then there was a lake. The children were enjoying themselves immensely. "Look mama! Look at the birdie!" the boy said excitedly. "What kind of birdie IS that? It's so black and fat!" he laughed.

"That's a crow, honey. It's a scavenger. It feeds of the death of things around it."

"Mommy, when we get home, can we get a puppy?"

"Puppies are messy, why not a kitten?"

"Ooo! A kitten, a kitten!" the girl spoke up cheerfully. "Sessy down the street has a Calico. It's so cute and colorful. Can we have that kind too?"

"Sure, Rie. You can have whatever you want. I just have to do one more thing. I just have to…I just have to kill him two more times."

"Mamma?"

"Your father…"

"Aa!" The boat tipped. Now Aya understood. The woman had intended that all three should die that day. She wasn't trying to kill her children, she was trying to take them with her. It was just too much to bear, life had become far too heavy.

Water. So much water. Gasping for breath, his lungs burned. Terror. Sheer terror. 'Taro! Brother!' her mind screamed, and she swam. For the first time, she made her limbs move. Had to get to Taro, and like a baby bird knocked out of the nest who then learns to fly, Rie swam.

Relief. Burning. Can't breathe. Need to breathe.

And he saw the looks they were given as they huddled close together in the playground. The sad expression on a stranger's face. "Would you like to come live with me for a while? My name is Tyan Kodomo."

"Can we have a kitten?" the smiling Taro asked. 

"I think, a kitten would be nice."

The world seemed to fast forward. The husband was angry. Their cat was dead. No idea where Taro was and the broken ribs jarred every time he kicked them. "Worthless little slut. Can't you do anything right? I told you not to come in when I was working didn't I? Well, didn't I???"

"Aah…the door…open. I didn't…ungh."

"Well, since you're here, let's play a little game with that memory of yours, hmm."

"You never ask Taro to help with your experiments anymore." Statement.

"He's just a normal boy."

"I'm normal too."

"No, Rie. You're not. You've been chosen."

"Whatever. When you're finished, can I have my guitar back?" 

It was like years passed in instants. Small when she entered the room, grown when she left it. 

Taro was standing in the front yard with a beer. "Was it bad this time?"

"I think I want to do something big."

"Hm?"

"Taro, have you ever wanted to be famous? Let's become musicians. I can write songs pretty well, and your voice doesn't suck."

"Yours is better."

"I just want to play my guitar. I've gotten tired of hearing this voice. Let's go to Tokyo and become famous musicians. Somewhere far away, just the two of us."

"Somewhere where he can't touch us."

Rie nodded. "To the edge of the world."

Reality was slipping. It was hard to differentiate anymore. He couldn't feel himself as a separate entity from Rie, or from Ran.

Music. Overcome by sound.

"What is this? This disk…this is…!"

"I know you probably don't want anything to do with any of this anymore, sis, but, can you sit aside and let him hurt people? You and I…even if it's just the two of us all alone, let's do something right for once."

"Get rid of this, Taro, leave no traces. Destroying every normal person in the world…what the hell is he thinking? The secrets on this disk will live in my mind, and die when I die. Heh. He always said I was one of the chosen. But I don't want to be chosen for anything unless you are too, baby brother."

"Stop it with the baby brother stuff, would you? We're twins. That means we'll never be alone, right?"

"Hah! That's a promise."

Never alone. Never ever alone.

His mind flashed on Rie when he'd met her. The overwhelming loneliness. It bordered on insanity. Resignation. Despair. There wasn't any anger, not really. She was just…in pain. All alone. And she looked up at him, the person most like himself, and suddenly his perception shifted, he was himself again. Of course she would choose to be Ran after that. It made perfect sense. Without the person who was born by her side, she felt like half a person who could never be complete.

His eyes snapped open. "RAN!"

There was a moment, in Calico's mind, when he saw his own eyes through Aya's mind, and felt trapped, helpless. The look in Rie's eyes, on that first meeting, so haunted it made his chest tighten up and he couldn't forget. He felt the warmth of Ran's arms around him, shimmying down the elevator cord. He felt Aya's pain at a love he thought died, and a new love he thought would never be returned, and then he heard his name. He groaned. It was hard to shake it off. But…

"A--ay---ay-a," he groaned, feeling his body fall to the ground. No hands, but the cloth came unbound. He and Aya looked in the same instant as the satin strands fell into Nagi's hands. There was an odd blue-haired girl beside him.

"You should get going. He's getting tired. Two people is hard enough. He won't be able to hold back Crawford and Farfarello this way for long."

"Why are you…helping us, or whatever it is your doing. An honest answer for once," Calico grit out, struggling to his feet.

"Our reasons are selfish," Nagi stated coolly. "Generally, we _do_ want revenge for what we suffered for our gifts. But if everyone in the world who wasn't gifted died, we wouldn't really be special anymore. We've lived our lives being better, able to do more than anyone else. To be normal people now, after all this time? We'd never survive it. Schuldich especially. The others don't understand. He would never be able to adapt to that sort of world. Anyway, he likes you, Calico, so he wants to do what he can. You should get going. The person you're looking for is in the basement. Your friends are probably already there. I hope you won't be too angry, if you don't get to kill him with your own hands after all he's done to you."

"Kill him with my own hands? Doing it or not, the thought never really crossed my mind. What's done is done. I just can't let it go any further than it already has. Unfortunately, I can never forget, so, this is the best I can do. Ay---Abysinnian…let's go, okay? We don't have the time to waste."

"Right."

~**~

Bombay closed his laptop and wiggled out of the tight space wondering where they were planning on stashing him when he finally decided to hit a growth spurt--if he ever did, at this rate he wasn't so sure. "Well that's done. Time to go join the others in the basement."

But as he approached the door to the stairs, the door went flying back under Yohji's weight. "Shit," the taller man grumbled trying not to wince as he got up. 

"Yohji! Don't move, your shoulder is…"

Pain-filled eyes focused on the youngest member of Weiss. "Gotta…help Ken," he grit out. "Push it back into place for me, would ya kiddo?"

Omi winced, but did as he was told. This is when Aya and Ran came running down the hallway. They looked a little worse for wear, but not too bad, all things considered.

"Sorry we're late," Ran said cheerfully. "What did we miss."

"That guy…bastard. He's like ten Nagis," Yohji grumbled. "He did something freaky with a machine in there."

"Shit! He didn't!"

"Calico wha--"

Calico peeked through the doorway, noting the little grayish bumps forming on her foster father's skin. She ducked around the door as Ken came flying and Aya caught him. "He did," she nodded. "He gave himself the virus. Crap. Bombay, your laptop. Let me borrow it."

Omi nodded, unsure of what she was planning. "How long has he been like that?" she asked as she flipped open the computer, shoving her glasses atop her head in aggrevation. 

"About ten minutes, I think?" Yohji asked, dodging something flying out the door again.

"Then he's got about twenty left. He'll get stronger as the virus takes hold, though his body will start falling apart. Gotta finish him off now."

"And what are you going to do?" Aya asked as he saw the NASA website pull up on the screen of Omi's laptop.

She just gave him a mischievous grin. "I'm going to do what I'm best at, lover," she winked. "Blow things up. Now go on, beat the bastard silly for me. I'll just dust off the failsafe data that's up in this under-used brain of mine and we'll put this mess behind us once and for all."

Aya was, well, taking this personally. It didn't matter how beat up he was getting. He _was_ going to kill this bastard Kodomo for all the trouble he'd caused Ran. He was pissed off. So when he slammed his sword into the control panel of the super-computer that was Kodomo's workstation, electrocuting both of them to some small degree, Ken and Yohji weren't going to overlook the opportunity to finish him off. Omi ran to Aya's side. 

"Aya!"

" 'mokay," he mumbled. "Ugh."

Much to his pride's disdain, he had to use Omi to support his weight. His palms were burnt, but there didn't seem to be any permanent damage, though a more careful examination would be called for, later.

Kodomo's flesh grayed completely, sizzled a bit, and with a pop, melted right off of bones, which also melted into a puddle of blackened, burnt blood. 

"Oh god!" Yohji's hand flew up to cover his nose and mouth. The smell was nauseating. "Let's get out of here before I vomit," he said. And at the same time, Calico's head poked around the door. "T-time to go!" the spectacled boy squeaked. "Not a lot of time…not a lot of…Aya!"

" 'm okay," he grumbled from where he leaned on Omi.

"Okay fine. No choice but to make a door then. Everybody stand back," Calico said, yanking a pin on a hand grenade. Hand grenade! She was carrying hand grenades now! When they got home, Aya was going to have to have a talk to her about this obsession she seemed to have with blowing things into little tiny bits. The fresh air hit them hard. Nothing had ever smelled that good before. And the five members of Weiss escaped into the coming dawn, driving off as yet another building exploded behind them.

"What was that…that lazer thing just now…?" Ken asked as he watched the crumbling building in shock.

Calico smirked at him. "Satellite weaponry," she grinned. "Phase one of 'plan failsafe'."

"How many phases are there?" Omi asked.

"Two."

"Simple plan."

"But of course! It's one of mine, isn't it?"

And they all laughed, before, after a pause, Ken commented, "Hey, are you sure it's okay to let Omi drive?"

~**~

Crawford's eyes shot open. He'd been angry with Schuldich, but couldn't seem to stay mad at the red-head for long, especially when he was unconscious and being protected by Nagi. The boy seemed to finally be growing a bit of backbone. Besides, he had a migrain. He could be angry later. 

"We need to leave now."

"Huh?"

"Schuldich's little friend is about to blow up this building. Take him. We're leaving."

"Ah, right. What is with her and blowing stuff up, anyway??"


	11. Epilogue: Fade to Black

****

Calico

By: Banshee Puppet

Epilogue: Fade to Black

**********

__

"In other news: satellite MG-12, designated to monitor weather patterns and pollution levels over the Tokyo Region washed up on Okinawan shores today. This is the same satellite that malfunctioned two months ago, blowing up a building in the Shinjuku area and then self-destructing. Scientists are working diligently to replace the lost satellite, but if you want this reporter's opinion, from the gray skies overhead, I'd say it looks like rain."

Ken shut off the television and leaned back against the couch. "So, that's it then. Everything is back to normal."

"Seems that way," Omi said. "It doesn't look like the new satellite is going to have any lasers, after what happened."

"Well, whatever the case, it's nice to have an extended vacation," Yohji yawned, stretching out his long legs.

"Don't forget you still have to work the Koneko today Yohji. You promised Aya you'd cover for him."

"Mn, because he begged," Yohji said. "Seeing Aya beg is definitely worth it."

"Well, it IS the guy's anniversary."

"Hard to believe it's been six months already."

"I think it's harder to remember what it was like before Ran was here, honestly," Omi said.

"Did you notice, they finally took down the 'Black Friday' billboard," Ken asked. "That must be why he's letting the dye grow out. No one will recognize him now. Everyone's already forgotten."

"Yeah, but he seems to enjoy dressing up like a boy well enough." Omi commented idly, then shrugged. "Well, whatever, it's good for business, right? Since the girls think he's cute."

"Well, that's just the way it goes. Time to go open up," Yohji yawned, pushing himself up.

"Nnh. Coming!" Omi said cheerily, following behind him.

~**~

Ran crinkled his nose at the sunlight coming in through the window. " 'm up," he grumbled, getting up to go the bathroom, not even registering Aya's presence right away. Since everyone knew, he'd taken to sleeping in one of Aya's old white t-shirts. 

When he came out of the bathroom after a quick shower, he was surprised to find Aya sitting on his bed in nothing but his sleep pants.

"Are you conscious now? Or do you need coffee? I want your full attention today," he smirked.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" Ran asked suspiciously.

"I got Yohji to cover for me. Don't you know what today is?" he asked, smirking slightly at Ran's confused expression. 

"Birthday?" the smaller boy asked.

Aya shook his head as he took her hand and pulled her into his lap.

"Eek! It's not a holiday is it?" Ran asked.

"No."

Ran chewed his lip, looking up to the right thoughtfully.

"It's been six months," Aya said, nibbling at the junction of her neck and shoulder.

"Oh! Anniversary! Oops! I forgot! Sorry Aya!" she blushed, biting her lower lip in apology.

Aya flipped them so that Ran was lying on her back and he was half over her. He gave her a strong-lipped kiss and whispered suggestively, "make it up to me."

She draped her arms loosely around his neck and said, "why, whatever did you have in mind?"

The red-head's slender fingers reached up and closed the blinds, smirking down at his lover before taking her lips in another kiss that made her mind go blank.

And outside, the world went on the way it always did, oblivious to the small twinkling of happiness in the eyes of two assassins, who after much strife had found a way to escape their sorrow in one another's arms, and a first blessed union that should, quite naturally, fade to black.

__

~The End~


End file.
